Fred Fisher (lawyer)
Encyclopedia
Frederick George Fisher, Jr., (April 19, 1921, Brockton
, Massachusetts
– May 25, 1989, Tel Aviv
, Israel
) was an American lawyer
who first entered the public eye in connection with Senator Joseph McCarthy
.
in 1942, summa cum laude. After serving in the Army Signal Corps
during World War II
, he attended Harvard Law School
. He graduated in 1948 and joined the law firm of Hale and Dorr in Boston
.
In 1954, the firm represented the U.S. Army at the Army–McCarthy hearings on Senator Joseph McCarthy
's conduct, and Fisher and Jim St. Clair
were the two attorneys initially sent to Washington, D.C.
to assist Joseph Welch
. On questioning them, Welch learned of Fisher's having belonged to the National Lawyers Guild
while in law school and shortly after. Welch decided that that left-wing association made Fisher's participation in the hearings a potential problem, and a colleague, John Kimball, Jr., replaced Fisher on the case.
Fisher's name was prominently publicized when McCarthy intimated on national television that Welch should get Fisher fired as a Communist, and that Welch had specifically chosen him for the abortive assignment. In response, Welch delivered some of the most memorable lines from the McCarthy Hearings, accusing McCarthy of "reckless cruelty" and concluding: "Let us not assassinate this lad further, Senator. You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?" Welch's criticism of McCarthy as callously slandering Fisher drew applause from the gallery, and is generally regarded as the crucial factor in the decline of McCarthy's political career. These proceedings have been recorded in the documentary
film Point of Order
.
Fisher's work for the Lawyers Guild had been confirmed by Welch several weeks earlier in a New York Times Article, which in turn led McCarthy to insinuate that Fisher was a Communist during the hearings.
Fisher went on to become a partner at Hale and Dorr. In 1973–74, he served as president of the Massachusetts Bar Association
.
In his New York Times obituary, Fisher was referred to as a "McCarthy target."
, the scene was powerfully re-enacted, with Burgess Meredith
portraying Welch and Peter Boyle
as McCarthy.
Brockton, Massachusetts
Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population was 93,810 in the 2010 Census. Brockton, along with Plymouth, are the county seats of Plymouth County...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
– May 25, 1989, Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
) was an American lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
who first entered the public eye in connection with Senator Joseph McCarthy
Joseph McCarthy
Joseph Raymond "Joe" McCarthy was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957...
.
Biography
Fisher graduated from Bowdoin CollegeBowdoin College
Bowdoin College , founded in 1794, is an elite private liberal arts college located in the coastal Maine town of Brunswick, Maine. As of 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranks Bowdoin 6th among liberal arts colleges in the United States. At times, it was ranked as high as 4th in the country. It is...
in 1942, summa cum laude. After serving in the Army Signal Corps
United States Army Signal Corps
The United States Army Signal Corps develops, tests, provides, and manages communications and information systems support for the command and control of combined arms forces. It was established in 1860, the brainchild of United States Army Major Albert J. Myer, and has had an important role from...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he attended Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
. He graduated in 1948 and joined the law firm of Hale and Dorr in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
In 1954, the firm represented the U.S. Army at the Army–McCarthy hearings on Senator Joseph McCarthy
Joseph McCarthy
Joseph Raymond "Joe" McCarthy was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957...
's conduct, and Fisher and Jim St. Clair
James D. St. Clair
James D. St. Clair was an American lawyer, and practiced law for many years in Boston with the firm of Hale and Dorr.He first gained notice while assisting Joseph Welch in the Army-McCarthy Hearings of 1954...
were the two attorneys initially sent to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to assist Joseph Welch
Joseph Welch
Joseph Nye Welch was the head counsel for the United States Army while it was under investigation by Joseph McCarthy's Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations for Communist activities, an investigation known as the Army-McCarthy Hearings.- Early life :Welch was born in Primghar, Iowa on...
. On questioning them, Welch learned of Fisher's having belonged to the National Lawyers Guild
National Lawyers Guild
The National Lawyers Guild is an advocacy group in the United States "dedicated to the need for basic and progressive change in the structure of our political and economic system . ....
while in law school and shortly after. Welch decided that that left-wing association made Fisher's participation in the hearings a potential problem, and a colleague, John Kimball, Jr., replaced Fisher on the case.
Fisher's name was prominently publicized when McCarthy intimated on national television that Welch should get Fisher fired as a Communist, and that Welch had specifically chosen him for the abortive assignment. In response, Welch delivered some of the most memorable lines from the McCarthy Hearings, accusing McCarthy of "reckless cruelty" and concluding: "Let us not assassinate this lad further, Senator. You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?" Welch's criticism of McCarthy as callously slandering Fisher drew applause from the gallery, and is generally regarded as the crucial factor in the decline of McCarthy's political career. These proceedings have been recorded in the documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
film Point of Order
Point of Order (film)
Point of Order! is a 1964 documentary film about the Senate Army-McCarthy Hearings of 1954. The hearings were broadcast live on television in their entirety and also recorded via kinescope...
.
Fisher's work for the Lawyers Guild had been confirmed by Welch several weeks earlier in a New York Times Article, which in turn led McCarthy to insinuate that Fisher was a Communist during the hearings.
Fisher went on to become a partner at Hale and Dorr. In 1973–74, he served as president of the Massachusetts Bar Association
Massachusetts Bar Association
The Massachusetts Bar Association is a voluntary, non-profit bar association in Massachusetts with a headquarters on West Street in Boston's Downtown Crossing. The MBA also has a Western Massachusetts office....
.
In his New York Times obituary, Fisher was referred to as a "McCarthy target."
Legacy
In the 1977 made-for-television film Tail Gunner JoeTail Gunner Joe
Tail Gunner Joe is a 1977 television movie dramatizing the life of U.S. Senator Joseph R. McCarthy, a Wisconsin Republican who claimed knowledge of communist infiltration of the U.S. government during the 1950s. The film was broadcast on NBC-TV...
, the scene was powerfully re-enacted, with Burgess Meredith
Burgess Meredith
Oliver Burgess Meredith , known professionally as Burgess Meredith, was an American actor in theatre, film, and television, who also worked as a director...
portraying Welch and Peter Boyle
Peter Boyle
Peter Lawrence Boyle, Jr. was an American actor, best known for his role as Frank Barone on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, and as a comical monster in Mel Brooks' film spoof Young Frankenstein ....
as McCarthy.