Percy Foreman
Encyclopedia
Percy Eugene Foreman was a criminal defense attorney from Houston, Texas
. Foreman was born near Bold Springs, Texas, and moved to Livingston, Texas
when he was six years old. He was the son of William P. ("Rogers") Foreman, a former sheriff of Polk County, Texas. Percy Foreman attended Staunton Military Academy
in Virginia for one year, graduated from the University of Texas Law School in 1927, and was admitted to the Texas Bar on January 17, 1928. He went on to become one of America's best known trial lawyers.
Notorious for his high fees and courtroom theatrics, he was often ridiculed for his clothing and disorganization, but he was a respected master of tactics. He lost only 53 of 1500 death-penalty cases and only one finally resulted in execution (Steve Mitchell, electrocuted
in Texas
in 1951).
Foreman's clients included Candy Mossler
, James Earl Ray
, who was convicted of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
, http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/assassins/ray/11.html and Charles Harrelson
, convicted murderer and the father of actor Woody Harrelson
. James Earl Ray, on the advice of Foreman, later took a guilty plea to avoid a trial conviction and therefore the possibility of receiving the death penalty. It is possible that Foreman's advice at the time saved Ray's life, but Ray believed the decision backfired. Ray later fired Foreman as his attorney (from then on derisively calling him "Percy Fourflusher").
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. Foreman was born near Bold Springs, Texas, and moved to Livingston, Texas
Livingston, Texas
Livingston is a town in Polk County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,433 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Polk County. Livingston was settled in 1835 as Springfield. Its name was changed to Livingston and became the county seat of Polk County in 1846.The Alabama-Coushatta...
when he was six years old. He was the son of William P. ("Rogers") Foreman, a former sheriff of Polk County, Texas. Percy Foreman attended Staunton Military Academy
Staunton Military Academy
Staunton Military Academy was an all-male military academy located in Staunton, Virginia for much of its 116-year history. The school closed in 1976. Many notable American political and military leaders are graduates...
in Virginia for one year, graduated from the University of Texas Law School in 1927, and was admitted to the Texas Bar on January 17, 1928. He went on to become one of America's best known trial lawyers.
Notorious for his high fees and courtroom theatrics, he was often ridiculed for his clothing and disorganization, but he was a respected master of tactics. He lost only 53 of 1500 death-penalty cases and only one finally resulted in execution (Steve Mitchell, electrocuted
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in 1951).
Foreman's clients included Candy Mossler
Candy Mossler
Candace "Candy" Mossler née Candace Weatherby was a socialite at the center of a sensational, highly-publicized murder trial in the 1960s. Candace Mossler and her nephew Melvin Lane Powers, with whom she was having an incestuous affair, were charged with the killing of Candy's millionaire...
, James Earl Ray
James Earl Ray
James Earl Ray was an American criminal convicted of the assassination of civil rights and anti-war activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr....
, who was convicted of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
, http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/assassins/ray/11.html and Charles Harrelson
Charles Harrelson
Charles Voyde Harrelson was an American organized crime figure who was convicted of assassinating federal judge John H. Wood, Jr., the first federal judge killed in the 20th century...
, convicted murderer and the father of actor Woody Harrelson
Woody Harrelson
Woodrow Tracy "Woody" Harrelson is an American actor.Harrelson's breakthrough role came in the television sitcom Cheers as bartender Woody Boyd...
. James Earl Ray, on the advice of Foreman, later took a guilty plea to avoid a trial conviction and therefore the possibility of receiving the death penalty. It is possible that Foreman's advice at the time saved Ray's life, but Ray believed the decision backfired. Ray later fired Foreman as his attorney (from then on derisively calling him "Percy Fourflusher").
See also
- Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and JusticeDominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and JusticeDominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice was an American crime TV series that examined real-life cases of crime, passion, and greed involving privileged or famous people. The episodes were shown on truTV and on Star TV in Canada as well as Zone Reality in Europe and Bio. in Australia. The...
(episode: The Candy Scandal)
- Judd, for the DefenseJudd, for the DefenseJudd, for the Defense is an American legal drama originally broadcast on the ABC network on Friday nights from September 8, 1967, to September 19, 1969.-Synopsis:...
(television series with main character reportedly based on Percy Foreman)