Tom Eagleton’s aunt
The St. Louis University Law Journal has published a fine tribute to the late Sen. Tom Eagleton:
252 pages of eulogy, remembrance, as well as scholarly analysis of Eagleton’s careers as politician, prosecutor, lawmaker, constitutional scholar, civic playmaker, lawyer, writer, teacher and raconteur. (Vol 52, No. 1 Fall 2007).
I have a dead tree copy of the issue (couldn’t find it online), and in flipping through it I landed on a terrific tribute by James J. Murphy, longtime lawyer at Bryan Cave remembering when he worked under Eagleton as an assistant St. Louis circuit attorney.
(Eagleton was elected St. Louis Circuit Attorney in 1956. He was 27 years old).
Here’s a description of a grand jury proceeding Eagleton pursued against an especially odious abuse of public office:
A major grand jury investigation targeted corrupt members of the St. Louis City School Board. Films taken by investigators depicted school maintenance employees repairing and painting one member’s house. Teachers who sought preferment knew that they were expected to patronize the furniture store owned by another member. A third board member charged fees to new graduates in return for job recommendations.
Another colorful anecdote:
Eagleton’s elderly Aunt Hazel served as the ace undercover agent in another investigation following a consumer complaint that certain dance studios were defrauding lonely old ladies. Slick young salesman would exploit the women’s desire for companionship by selling them multiple life memberships while gliding them around the dance floor.
Recalling Sen. Eagleton, and his many accomplishments in public life, I have to think he would be especially pleased to be remembered for his fight against school board graft and dance studio swindles.
Note to law journal editors: How come you don’t make your offerings available for downloading on your Web site?
(Sen. Eagleton pictured with St. Louis University Law School Prof. Joel Goldstein at a seminar they co-taught on the presidency and the constitution in 2005-2006).
Eddie Roth writes about education, social justice, public safety, transportation, legal affairs and historic preservation. He joined the Post-Dispatch editorial page in 2008 after six years as an editorial writer with the Dayton Daily News. But he is not new to St. Louis. Eddie grew up in Webster Groves and south St. Louis County. He's a lawyer who for many years practiced with a downtown firm, and was active in civic affairs, including serving a term on the St. Louis Police Board. He and his wife, Jeanne, and their three daughters, Emily, Julia and Alice, live in the Shaw Neighborhood.
When it comes to community organizing, he endorses Quentin Crisp's advice: Rather than keeping up with the Joneses, it's better to pull them down to your level. 
Mr Roth since you are the”all around reasonable guy” don’t forget the sweetheart deal Tom arranged for John Shaw and the St Louis Rams. I do respect that Tom came home after leaving the Senate. At least he didn’t think he was God!
To prove my all around reasonableness, jerele, I agree with you that the Rams deal is terribly one-sided.
But I don’t know that you can put that on Sen. Eagleton. His mission was to bring the NFL back to STL. He brokered the deal; others set and agreed to the terms.
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On another note:
Sen. Eagleton was known to have battled depression during periods of his life.
A reader posted an especially mean-spirited comment, playing mental illness for laughs. Shamefully out of control. I removed it.
We are for robust discussion.
But there is no place for that kind of offensively poisonous post on this blog.
Mr. Roth:
“But there is no place for that kind of offensively poisonous post on this blog.”
I am the author of that “offensively poisonous post” and despite your political correctness sensitivities, it was no more offensively poisonous than any keystroke of Eric Mink, most of Kevin Horrigan’s and the majority of the Editorial Board’s opinions. This is the same newspaper that has a “no name calling policy” for readers yet the Board described the Bush twins as “ditzy” for their performance at the 2004 Republican convention. May I suggest that if you can’t take it, don’t dish it out?
Tom Eagleton was a true sage, not someone who just calls himself such an one. Tom Eagleton was a true gentleman and NEVER whined.
I most fondly remember a picture of him sitting on a street corner on South Hampton eating White Castles with a buddy of mine.