Jim Garrison facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jim Garrison
District Attorney of Orleans Parish
In office 1962–1973
Preceded by	Richard Dowling
Succeeded by	Harry Connick Sr.
Constituency	New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Personal details
Born	Earling Carothers Garrison (1921-11-20)November 20, 1921 Denison, Iowa, U.S.
Died	October 21, 1992(1992-10-21) (aged 70) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Leah Elizabeth Ziegler Other
Children	5
Alma mater	Tulane University (LLB)
Known for	Trial of Clay Shaw

Jim Garrison (born Earling Carothers Garrison; November 20, 1921 – October 21, 1992) was an important legal figure in Louisiana. He served as the top prosecutor, known as the District Attorney, for Orleans Parish in New Orleans from 1962 to 1973. Later, he became a judge on a state court.

Garrison was a member of the Democratic Party. He is most famous for his investigation into the assassination of John F. Kennedy. He led the only trial related to the assassination, prosecuting New Orleans businessman Clay Shaw in 1969. Shaw was found not guilty. Garrison wrote three books, and one of them was a main source for Oliver Stone's 1991 movie JFK. In the film, actor Kevin Costner played Garrison. Garrison himself had a small role in the movie as Earl Warren.

Early Life and Education

Jim Garrison was born in Denison, Iowa, in 1921. He was the only son of Earling R. Garrison and Jane Anne Robinson. His parents divorced when he was two years old. Jim moved to New Orleans as a young child and was raised there by his mother.

During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces. He joined the military a year before the attack on Pearl Harbor. After the war, he studied law and earned his degree from Tulane University Law School in 1949.

After law school, Garrison worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for two years in Seattle. He later joined the National Guard. He faced some health challenges related to his war service. Despite this, he was found fit for military duty.

Returning to civilian life, Garrison worked as a trial lawyer. He then successfully ran for election as New Orleans District Attorney. He started his first of three terms in January 1962.

District Attorney Role

Before becoming District Attorney, Garrison worked for a law firm in New Orleans. He also served as an assistant district attorney. He became a well-known and colorful public figure in New Orleans.

In 1961, he ran for District Attorney and won. He beat the person who held the job before him, Richard Dowling. He won by about 6,000 votes in a primary election. He did well in a TV debate and used last-minute TV ads to help him win.

Garrison sometimes had disagreements with local judges. He once accused them of working against him. In 1963, he was found guilty of a minor charge related to this. However, in 1964, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned his conviction. They said the law he was charged under was unconstitutional.

Garrison also charged nine police officers with brutality. He dropped these charges a few weeks later. He also accused the state parole board of taking bribes, but no one was charged. The state legislature criticized him for his comments about them.

In 1965, Garrison ran for reelection and won with 60 percent of the votes.

Investigating the Kennedy Assassination

In late 1966, as New Orleans District Attorney, Jim Garrison began looking into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. He received tips that a man named David Ferrie might have been involved.

Garrison's investigation led to the arrest and trial of New Orleans businessman Clay Shaw in 1969. Shaw was accused of being part of a plot to kill the President. However, the jury found Shaw not guilty in less than an hour.

Garrison was able to get the Zapruder film from Life magazine. This film showed the assassination. It was shown to the jury during the trial, which was one of the first times the public saw it. Copies of the film were made by an investigator working with Garrison's office.

Garrison's main witness against Shaw was Perry Russo. Russo was an insurance salesman. He said he attended a party where Lee Harvey Oswald, David Ferrie, and "Clem Bertrand" (who Russo identified as Clay Shaw) talked about killing President Kennedy. Russo said they discussed how to shoot the President and how to create alibis.

Some people have questioned Russo's story. This is because parts of his testimony might have been influenced by hypnosis or a "truth serum." However, Garrison stated that Russo had already talked about the party before any "truth serum" was used. Russo always stuck to his story about the party at Ferrie's house.

Garrison's investigation gained a lot of attention. This was especially true after Oliver Stone's film JFK came out in 1991. The movie was largely based on Garrison's book, On the Trail of the Assassins.

Later Life and Books

In 1973, Garrison faced charges related to accepting money. However, a jury found him not guilty. Later that year, he lost his bid for reelection as District Attorney to Harry Connick Sr..

On April 15, 1978, Garrison won a special election to become a judge for Louisiana's 4th Circuit Court of Appeal. He was reelected to this position and served as a judge until his death.

Jim Garrison also appeared in a few films. In 1986, he played a judge in The Big Easy. In 1991, he had a small role in JFK, playing Chief Justice Earl Warren. He also appeared in the documentary The JFK Assassination: The Jim Garrison Tapes.

After the Clay Shaw trial, Garrison wrote three books about the Kennedy assassination. These included A Heritage of Stone (1970) and his best-seller, On the Trail of the Assassins (1988). In A Heritage of Stone, he suggested that the CIA was responsible for the assassination. He also believed that many officials lied to the public about what happened.

Jim Garrison passed away in 1992. He was survived by his five children. He is buried in Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Jim Garrison para niños