Walter G. Winne
Encyclopedia
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Walter Griffen Winne (February 18, 1889 – October 15, 1972) was an American
lawyer and politician who served as a member of the New Jersey General Assembly
and U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey
. As Prosecutor for Bergen County, New Jersey
, he was indicted on misconduct charges in 1951 but was subsequently acquitted.
, New York
to George T. and Agnes T. (Goff) Winne. He grew up in Hackensack, New Jersey
and graduated from Hackensack High School
in 1906. He attended Rutgers College
, graduating in 1910 with a Bachelor of Literature degree. He attended New York Law School
and received a Bachelor of Laws
degree in 1912.
Winne was first elected to the New Jersey General Assembly
in 1916 and served for four terms. In 1922 President Warren G. Harding
appointed him U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey
. His tenure was marked by many controversies over the enforcement of Prohibition
in the state. He held the post until 1928, when he returned to private practice.
He was appointed Bergen County
Counsel in 1934 and Prosecutor in 1944. In 1950, he was removed from office as Bergen County Prosecutor by Deputy Attorney General of New Jersey Nelson Stamler, who was conducting an investigation into gambling in the county. He was indicted on 19 counts of misconduct in 1951, with the charges alleging that he had failed to crack down on illegal gambling in Bergen County. U.S. Senator Estes Kefauver
, who was holding Senate hearings on organized crime
, called law enforcement in Bergen County under Winne "a sorry spectacle."
One of Winne's attorneys in the trial was Joseph Weintraub
, who would later serve as Chief Justice
of the New Jersey Supreme Court
. Richard J. Hughes
, later Governor of New Jersey
, presided as New Jersey Superior Court
judge, and ruled in the pretrial phase that there was insufficient evidence to bring Winne to trial. The decision was reversed by the State Supreme Court and Winne was ultimately tried.
In 1954, Winne was found not guilty on 16 counts of the indictment, and the state dropped the remaining counts. He attempted to recoup $34,000 in lost salary for the three years that he was removed from office, but he lost his case in a 5-2 decision by the State Supreme Court.
Winne continued in private legal practice until his retirement in 1963. He died in 1972 at the age of 83 at the Van Dyke Nursing Home in Montclair, New Jersey
and was to be interred at Hackensack Cemetery
.
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Walter Griffen Winne (February 18, 1889 – October 15, 1972) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer and politician who served as a member of the New Jersey General Assembly
New Jersey General Assembly
The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.Since the election of 1967 , the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average...
and U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey
United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey
The U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey is the chief federal law enforcement officer in New Jersey. Paul J. Fishman was sworn into office as U.S. Attorney on October 14, 2009 after having been nominated by President Barack Obama. He succeeded Ralph J. Marra, who served as Acting U.S....
. As Prosecutor for Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
, he was indicted on misconduct charges in 1951 but was subsequently acquitted.
Biography
Winne was born in 1889 in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to George T. and Agnes T. (Goff) Winne. He grew up in Hackensack, New Jersey
Hackensack, New Jersey
Hackensack is a city in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States and the county seat of Bergen County. Although informally called Hackensack, it was officially named New Barbadoes Township until 1921. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 43,010....
and graduated from Hackensack High School
Hackensack High School
Hackensack High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Hackensack, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Hackensack Public Schools...
in 1906. He attended Rutgers College
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
, graduating in 1910 with a Bachelor of Literature degree. He attended New York Law School
New York Law School
New York Law School is a private law school in the TriBeCa neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. New York Law School is one of the oldest independent law schools in the United States. The school is located within four blocks of all major courts in Manhattan. In 2011, New York Law School...
and received a Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
degree in 1912.
Winne was first elected to the New Jersey General Assembly
New Jersey General Assembly
The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.Since the election of 1967 , the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average...
in 1916 and served for four terms. In 1922 President Warren G. Harding
Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States . A Republican from Ohio, Harding was an influential self-made newspaper publisher. He served in the Ohio Senate , as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and as a U.S. Senator...
appointed him U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey
United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey
The U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey is the chief federal law enforcement officer in New Jersey. Paul J. Fishman was sworn into office as U.S. Attorney on October 14, 2009 after having been nominated by President Barack Obama. He succeeded Ralph J. Marra, who served as Acting U.S....
. His tenure was marked by many controversies over the enforcement of Prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
in the state. He held the post until 1928, when he returned to private practice.
He was appointed Bergen County
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
Counsel in 1934 and Prosecutor in 1944. In 1950, he was removed from office as Bergen County Prosecutor by Deputy Attorney General of New Jersey Nelson Stamler, who was conducting an investigation into gambling in the county. He was indicted on 19 counts of misconduct in 1951, with the charges alleging that he had failed to crack down on illegal gambling in Bergen County. U.S. Senator Estes Kefauver
Estes Kefauver
Carey Estes Kefauver July 26, 1903 – August 10, 1963) was an American politician from Tennessee. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S...
, who was holding Senate hearings on organized crime
Kefauver hearings
The United States Senate Special Committee to Investigate Crime in Interstate Commerce was a special committee of the United States Senate which existed from 1950 to 1951 and which investigated organized crime which crossed state borders in the United States...
, called law enforcement in Bergen County under Winne "a sorry spectacle."
One of Winne's attorneys in the trial was Joseph Weintraub
Joseph Weintraub
Joseph Weintraub was Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1957 to 1973. He previously served as an Associate Justice of the same court in 1956-57.-Biography:Among the landmark decisions authored by Weintraub was Robinson v...
, who would later serve as Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of the New Jersey Supreme Court
New Jersey Supreme Court
The New Jersey Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It has existed in three different forms under the three different state constitutions since the independence of the state in 1776...
. Richard J. Hughes
Richard J. Hughes
Richard Joseph Hughes was an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 45th Governor of New Jersey from 1962 to 1970, and as Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1973–1979...
, later Governor of New Jersey
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
, presided as New Jersey Superior Court
New Jersey Superior Court
The Superior Court is the state court in the U.S. state of New Jersey, with state-wide trial and appellate jurisdiction. The Superior Court has three divisions: the Appellate Division is essentially an intermediate appellate court while the Law and Chancery Divisions function as trial courts...
judge, and ruled in the pretrial phase that there was insufficient evidence to bring Winne to trial. The decision was reversed by the State Supreme Court and Winne was ultimately tried.
In 1954, Winne was found not guilty on 16 counts of the indictment, and the state dropped the remaining counts. He attempted to recoup $34,000 in lost salary for the three years that he was removed from office, but he lost his case in a 5-2 decision by the State Supreme Court.
Winne continued in private legal practice until his retirement in 1963. He died in 1972 at the age of 83 at the Van Dyke Nursing Home in Montclair, New Jersey
Montclair, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...
and was to be interred at Hackensack Cemetery
Hackensack Cemetery
Hackensack Cemetery is an upscale cemetery located in Hackensack, New Jersey, United States. It is noted to have many public mausoleums built, called the Mausoleum of Memories. Several famous people are in these mausoleums, in unmarked plots. All three buildings have flower beds, which is extremely...
.