Fred Moore (attorney)
Encyclopedia
Fred H. Moore was a socialist lawyer and the defense attorney of the controversial Sacco and Vanzetti
case. He had collaborated in many labor and Industrial Workers of the World
trials and was noted for his role in the celebrated Ettor
-Giovannitti
case, which arose from the 1912 Lawrence, Massachusetts
, textile strike
.
seemed to loathe defense attorney Fred Moore. Thayer frequently denied Moore's motions
and lectured the California
-based lawyer on how law was conducted in Massachusetts
. Thayer once told reporters that "No long-haired anarchist from California can run this court!"
Fred Moore was considered by some much more than a criminal defense attorney. Eugene Lyons, a strong socialist who later went on to be a senior editor of Reader's Digest
described Moore as an idealist with "no conscience once he decided his client was innocent. He would stop at nothing, frame evidence, suborn witnesses, have his people work on witnesses who had seen the wrong things..." Lyons worked with Moore on publicity to stimulate the sympathies of those who were unaware of the two Italian anarchists' trials.
Sacco and Vanzetti
Ferdinando Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were anarchists who were convicted of murdering two men during a 1920 armed robbery in South Braintree, Massachusetts, United States...
case. He had collaborated in many labor and Industrial Workers of the World
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
trials and was noted for his role in the celebrated Ettor
Joseph Ettor
Joseph James "Smiling Joe" Ettor was an Italian-American trade union organizer who, in the middle-1910s, was one of the leading public faces of the Industrial Workers of the World...
-Giovannitti
Arturo Giovannitti
Arturo M. Giovannitti was an Italian-American union leader, socialist political activist, and poet. He is best remembered as one of the principal organizers of the 1912 Lawrence Textile Strike and as a defendant in a celebrated trial ensuing from that event.-Early years:Arturo Giovannitti was born...
case, which arose from the 1912 Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States on the Merrimack River. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a total population of 76,377. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and North Andover to the southeast. It and Salem are...
, textile strike
Lawrence textile strike
The Lawrence Textile Strike was a strike of immigrant workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1912 led by the Industrial Workers of the World. Prompted by one mill owner's decision to lower wages when a new law shortening the workweek went into effect in January, the strike spread rapidly through the...
.
Sacco and Vanzetti case
During the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti, many had noted how Judge Webster ThayerWebster Thayer
Webster Thayer was a judge of the Superior Court of Massachusetts, best known as the trial judge in the Sacco and Vanzetti case.-Background:...
seemed to loathe defense attorney Fred Moore. Thayer frequently denied Moore's motions
Motion (legal)
In law, a motion is a procedural device to bring a limited, contested issue before a court for decision. A motion may be thought of as a request to the judge to make a decision about the case. Motions may be made at any point in administrative, criminal or civil proceedings, although that right is...
and lectured the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
-based lawyer on how law was conducted in 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...
. Thayer once told reporters that "No long-haired anarchist from California can run this court!"
Fred Moore was considered by some much more than a criminal defense attorney. Eugene Lyons, a strong socialist who later went on to be a senior editor of Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
described Moore as an idealist with "no conscience once he decided his client was innocent. He would stop at nothing, frame evidence, suborn witnesses, have his people work on witnesses who had seen the wrong things..." Lyons worked with Moore on publicity to stimulate the sympathies of those who were unaware of the two Italian anarchists' trials.