Lou Frost
Encyclopedia
Louis O'Melville "Lou" Frost, Jr. (September 19, 1931 – January 16, 2008) was an American lawyer who served for 36 years as the elected public defender
for Florida's Fourth Judicial Circuit
, which consists of Duval
, Nassau
, and Clay
counties. He was a local legal institution who nurtured the careers of hundreds of young lawyers, with two dozen appointed to state and federal judgeships, and one seated on the Florida Supreme Court
.
, but his family moved to Jacksonville, Florida
when he was 7 years old. He was a 1949 graduate of Jacksonville's Landon High School, where he was named valedictorian. He received a degree in Business from the University of Florida
in 1953, the same year he married his wife, Shirley. He attended law school at the University of Miami
before serving two years as an officer in the United States Army
First Infantry during the Korean War
. After leaving the Army, he completed his law degree at the Fredric G. Levin College of Law.
He was admitted to the Florida Bar on November 6, 1958. and worked briefly in a Jacksonville private practice.
. Frost first became acquainted with Austin in 1951 at the University of Florida when the former was a student and the latter was a teacher. A few years later, Frost was a First Lieutenant
at Fort Sill, Oklahoma when Austin attended Officer Candidate School
. They also attended law school together.
In the 1963 Gideon v. Wainwright
decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that defendants charged with felonies (besides murder) were also entitled to legal representation by the State. In response, the Florida Legislature established the office of Public Defender
, and Governor Farris Bryant appointed Ed Austin as Jacksonville's first Public Defender.
Austin asked Frost if he would be interested in changing sides. Frost said "yes" and he became Austin's chief assistant. Frost commented,
During the 1960s, the State Attorney
handled Capital cases
and Grand jury
Indictment
s. The County Solicitor was responsible for all other cases. When Austin resigned to run for State Attorney in 1968,
Frost was invited to change sides again, but he declined and was appointed to fill Austin's remaining term by Governor Claude Kirk. Frost was elected public defender later that year and retained the post until he retired in January, 2005, running unopposed 9 times. Frost explained how that happened:
"I was a Democrat in the mostly Republican Fourth Judicial Circuit. When Don Brewer was the head of the Republican Party he told me I was doing a fine job and I would run unopposed."
Frost was also asked to help establish other public defender offices across the country.
Deborah. He was a long-time member of Rotary International
, and served as president of the Arlington Rotary Club. He was also active with Jacksonville's Morocco Temple
, elected Illustrious Potentate in 1987, and a Master Mason
, 33rd degree Scottish Rite
, and a Jester
.
Upon his retirement, Frost was interviewed by the Florida Times-Union: "It has been rewarding to see people whose careers I've helped and also to see people that we've defended turn the corner and turn their lives around. Those are the rewards that you never see, and those are the rewards that I've cherished."
. Before treatment, Frost had a slim body, and during chemo, his weight dropped to 105. He realized that he would not be able to return to work, and retirement was his only option. At his retirement party, delayed because of the cancer treatment, he commented,
More than 300 friends and colleagues attended a retirement celebration in his honor on February 24, 2005. They included judges, lawyers and politicians in the northeast Florida legal community, many of whom offered speeches in tribute.
State Attorney Harry Shorstein
said, "Lou was your quintessential moral, ethical, caring person. The law can at times be very contentious, but Lou was always a gentleman."
Chief Circuit Judge Donald Moran
commented, "He was so well-respected throughout the state of Florida, not only for his civic work but as a lawyer. He was a humble person, a gentleman's gentleman."
The cancer returned however, and four years after he was diagnosed, Frost died of complications after a long hospitalization.
with their distinguished Reginald Heber Smith Award.
He received the Mary L. Singleton Justice, Peace and Social Harmony Award in 2001, and the D.W. Perkins Bar Association recognized him in 2004 for his "trail-blazing" dedication to hiring African-American lawyers.
In 2006, the Florida Public Defenders Association named him recipient of the L. Clayton Nance Award. Frost commented, "It is a distinct honor to be recognized in the same group with former governors Farris Bryant and Leroy Collins
and State Supreme Court Justices (B. K.) Roberts and Adkins
and Sandy D'Alemberte. It is overwhelming for me. To be listed among those people as worthy of this award is the pinnacle of my career."
That same year, the Criminal Law Section of The Florida Bar
bestowed the Selig Goldin Award in recognition of his distinguished career.
Public defender
The term public defender is primarily used to refer to a criminal defense lawyer appointed to represent people charged with a crime but who cannot afford to hire an attorney in the United States and Brazil. The term is also applied to some ombudsman offices, for example in Jamaica, and is one way...
for Florida's Fourth Judicial Circuit
Fourth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida
The Fourth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida is a Circuit Court comprising Clay, Duval, and Nassau Counties in northeast Florida.-External links:*...
, which consists of Duval
Duval County, Florida
Duval County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2010, the population was 864,263. Its county seat is Jacksonville, with which the Duval County government has been consolidated since 1968...
, Nassau
Nassau County, Florida
Nassau County is a county located in the state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 57,663. The U.S. Census Bureau 2008 estimate for the county was 69,835. Its county seat is Fernandina Beach, Florida....
, and Clay
Clay County, Florida
Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2010, the population was 190,895. Its county seat is Green Cove Springs, Florida. Clay County is part of the Greater Jacksonville Metropolitan area.- History :...
counties. He was a local legal institution who nurtured the careers of hundreds of young lawyers, with two dozen appointed to state and federal judgeships, and one seated on the Florida Supreme Court
Florida Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. The Supreme Court consists of seven judges: the Chief Justice and six Justices who are appointed by the Governor to 6-year terms and remain in office if retained in a general election near the end of each...
.
Early years
Frost was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, but his family moved to Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
when he was 7 years old. He was a 1949 graduate of Jacksonville's Landon High School, where he was named valedictorian. He received a degree in Business from the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in 1953, the same year he married his wife, Shirley. He attended law school at the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
before serving two years as an officer in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
First Infantry during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. After leaving the Army, he completed his law degree at the Fredric G. Levin College of Law.
He was admitted to the Florida Bar on November 6, 1958. and worked briefly in a Jacksonville private practice.
Career
In 1959, then County Solicitor Lacy Mahon Jr. hired Frost as a part-time prosecutor. After Edward M. Booth was elected County Solicitor, he retained Frost on the staff, as well as Ed AustinEd Austin
T. Edward "Ed" Austin, Jr. was an American politician and attorney. He served as mayor of Jacksonville, Florida from 1991 to 1995. He also served as the first Public Defender for Florida's Fourth Judicial Circuit from 1963 to 1968, and served as State Attorney for the Fourth Judicial Circuit from...
. Frost first became acquainted with Austin in 1951 at the University of Florida when the former was a student and the latter was a teacher. A few years later, Frost was a First Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
at Fort Sill, Oklahoma when Austin attended Officer Candidate School
Officer Candidate School
Officer Candidate School or Officer Cadet School are institutions which train civilians and enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a commission as officers in the armed forces of a country....
. They also attended law school together.
In the 1963 Gideon v. Wainwright
Gideon v. Wainwright
Gideon v. Wainwright, , is a landmark case in United States Supreme Court history. In the case, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that state courts are required under the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution to provide counsel in criminal cases for defendants who are unable to afford their own...
decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that defendants charged with felonies (besides murder) were also entitled to legal representation by the State. In response, the Florida Legislature established the office of Public Defender
Public defender
The term public defender is primarily used to refer to a criminal defense lawyer appointed to represent people charged with a crime but who cannot afford to hire an attorney in the United States and Brazil. The term is also applied to some ombudsman offices, for example in Jamaica, and is one way...
, and Governor Farris Bryant appointed Ed Austin as Jacksonville's first Public Defender.
Austin asked Frost if he would be interested in changing sides. Frost said "yes" and he became Austin's chief assistant. Frost commented,
I never got a big bang out of putting people in jail. I always felt there was some good in every person – even though you had to find it in some of them. I also had prosecuted many people who didn’t have representation and I knew their sentences would have been more lenient if they could have had an attorney.
During the 1960s, the State Attorney
State's Attorney
In the United States, the State's Attorney is, most commonly, an elected official who represents the State in criminal prosecutions and is often the chief law enforcement officer of their respective county, circuit...
handled Capital cases
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
and Grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
Indictment
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
s. The County Solicitor was responsible for all other cases. When Austin resigned to run for State Attorney in 1968,
Frost was invited to change sides again, but he declined and was appointed to fill Austin's remaining term by Governor Claude Kirk. Frost was elected public defender later that year and retained the post until he retired in January, 2005, running unopposed 9 times. Frost explained how that happened:
"I was a Democrat in the mostly Republican Fourth Judicial Circuit. When Don Brewer was the head of the Republican Party he told me I was doing a fine job and I would run unopposed."
Frost was also asked to help establish other public defender offices across the country.
Personal
Frost and his wife Shirley were married for 47 years and raised two children: Louis O. Frost IV andDeborah. He was a long-time member of Rotary International
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
, and served as president of the Arlington Rotary Club. He was also active with Jacksonville's Morocco Temple
Morocco Temple
The Morocco Temple is a historic Shrine building in Jacksonville, Florida. It is located at 219 Newnan Street, and was designed by New York architect Henry John Klutho. On November 29, 1979, it was added to the U.S...
, elected Illustrious Potentate in 1987, and a Master Mason
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
, 33rd degree Scottish Rite
Scottish Rite
The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry , commonly known as simply the Scottish Rite, is one of several Rites of the worldwide fraternity known as Freemasonry...
, and a Jester
Royal Order of Jesters
The Royal Order of Jesters is a fraternal organization affiliated with Freemasonry and the Shriners.- Formation :The original meeting resulting in the formation was held on February 20, 1911, by Shriners in the Captain’s office of the S.S. Wilhelmina on a pilgrimage to Aloha Temple, Hawaii. Noble A.M...
.
Upon his retirement, Frost was interviewed by the Florida Times-Union: "It has been rewarding to see people whose careers I've helped and also to see people that we've defended turn the corner and turn their lives around. Those are the rewards that you never see, and those are the rewards that I've cherished."
Retirement
Frost was diagnosed with stomach cancer and had surgery in March, 2004 to remove an abdominal tumor, followed by 25 doses of chemotherapyChemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
. Before treatment, Frost had a slim body, and during chemo, his weight dropped to 105. He realized that he would not be able to return to work, and retirement was his only option. At his retirement party, delayed because of the cancer treatment, he commented,
Yes, it was difficult. The chemo really knocked me down, but I guess they almost have to kill you before you can start in your recovery. Everything is great, wonderful right now. I’m in remission and there have been no reoccurrences since my surgery. I’m blessed. I’m surrounded by the people I love.
More than 300 friends and colleagues attended a retirement celebration in his honor on February 24, 2005. They included judges, lawyers and politicians in the northeast Florida legal community, many of whom offered speeches in tribute.
State Attorney Harry Shorstein
Harry Shorstein
Harry L. Shorstein is an American lawyer who served as State Attorney for the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, covering Duval, Clay and Nassau counties, from 1991–2008. He was appointed to the post in 1991 by Governor Lawton Chiles to fill the remaining term of Ed Austin, who resigned to...
said, "Lou was your quintessential moral, ethical, caring person. The law can at times be very contentious, but Lou was always a gentleman."
Chief Circuit Judge Donald Moran
Donald Moran
Donald Richard Moran, Jr. is currently serving as the Chief Judge of the Fourth Judicial Circuit in Florida, which includes most of the Greater Jacksonville Metropolitan Area, specifically Duval, Clay and Nassau counties...
commented, "He was so well-respected throughout the state of Florida, not only for his civic work but as a lawyer. He was a humble person, a gentleman's gentleman."
The cancer returned however, and four years after he was diagnosed, Frost died of complications after a long hospitalization.
Honors
In 1975, Frost was honored by the National Legal Aid & Defender AssociationNational Legal Aid & Defender Association
The National Legal Aid & Defender Association is the oldest and largest national, nonprofit membership organization devoted to advocating equal justice for all Americans...
with their distinguished Reginald Heber Smith Award.
He received the Mary L. Singleton Justice, Peace and Social Harmony Award in 2001, and the D.W. Perkins Bar Association recognized him in 2004 for his "trail-blazing" dedication to hiring African-American lawyers.
In 2006, the Florida Public Defenders Association named him recipient of the L. Clayton Nance Award. Frost commented, "It is a distinct honor to be recognized in the same group with former governors Farris Bryant and Leroy Collins
LeRoy Collins
Thomas LeRoy Collins was the 33rd Governor of Florida.-Early life:Collins was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida, where he attended Leon High School. He went on to attend the Eastman Business College in New York and then went on to the Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama to...
and State Supreme Court Justices (B. K.) Roberts and Adkins
James C. Adkins
James C. Adkins Jr. . Adkins was a former justice for the Florida Supreme Court.He was a judge from the U.S. state of Florida. James Adkins served on the Florida Supreme Court from 1969 - 1987. From 1974 to 1976 Adkins served as Chief Justice.Adkins graduated from the University of Florida College...
and Sandy D'Alemberte. It is overwhelming for me. To be listed among those people as worthy of this award is the pinnacle of my career."
That same year, the Criminal Law Section of The Florida Bar
The Florida Bar
The Florida Bar is the integrated bar association for the state of Florida. It is the third largest such bar association in the United States. Its duties include the regulation and discipline of attorneys....
bestowed the Selig Goldin Award in recognition of his distinguished career.