Francis J. Heney
Francis Heney | |
|---|---|
Heney in 1912 | |
| 11th Attorney General of the Arizona Territory | |
| In office April 13, 1893 – January 12, 1895 | |
| Preceded by | John Herndon |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Satterwhite |
| United States Attorney for the District of Oregon | |
| In office January 9, 1905 – December 5, 1905 | |
| Appointed by | William Henry Moody |
| Judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court | |
| In office September 2, 1931 – October 31, 1937 | |
| Appointed by | James Rolph |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Francis Joseph Heney March 17, 1859 Lima, New York, U.S. |
| Died | October 31, 1937 (aged 78) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (before 1912) Progressive (1912–1916) Democratic (after 1916) |
| Spouse(s) | Rebecca Wentworth McMullin Edna I. Van Winkle |
| Education | University of California, Berkeley (BA) |
| Occupation | Attorney, politician, judge |
| Known for | Killing of John C. Handy in self-defense; prosecution of politicians in the Oregon Land Fraud scandal and the San Francisco graft trials |
| Signature | |
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Francis Joseph Heney (March 17, 1859 – October 31, 1937) was an American lawyer, judge, and politician. Heney is known for prosecuting high city officials in the San Francisco graft trials in 1906 to 1908. Heney served as Attorney General of the Arizona Territory between 1893 and 1895. He was the chief prosecutor of the Oregon Land Fraud scandal from 1904 to 1910 and served as US District Attorney for the District of Oregon, from January 9 to December 3, 1905.
Heney was shot in the head by a prospective juror during the San Francisco graft trials. In 1891, while an attorney in Tucson, Arizona Territory, he defended the abused wife of John C. Handy. Handy attacked Heney, who shot and killed Handy in self defense.
In 1906, Heney prosecuted San Francisco Mayor Eugene Schmitz and political boss Abe Ruef, for bribery. Heney revealed that a prospective juror was ineligible because he was an ex-convict. The man deeply resented Heney's action and while court was in recess, walked into the courtroom and shot the attorney in the jaw. Heney survived the wound, and the trial went on. He ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in California on the Progressive Party ticket in 1914.
Heney co-wrote the California Alien Land Law of 1913.