Getty, Gerald W(inkler) 1913-2004
GETTY, Gerald W(inkler) 1913-2004
OBITUARY NOTICE—
See index for CA sketch: Born June 17, 1913, in Chicago, IL; died of congestive heart failure February 29, 2004, in Pompano Beach, FL. Attorney and author. Getty was a former public defender for Cook County, Illinois, who made the news during the trial of mass murderer Richard Speck. He attended the University of Illinois for his undergraduate work and then received his law degree in 1937 from DePaul University. After five years working for the Federal Government Price Administration, he was made an assistant public defender for Cook County; in 1954, he was promoted to chief public defender. Avid in his belief that everyone should receive a fair trial, in 1966 he defended Speck, who was accused of killing eight student nurses. Though he lost this particular case, Getty successfully defended many people accused of other heinous crimes; he related his trial experiences in his 1974 book, Public Defender, written with James Presley. A controversy about Getty's office hiring practices led to his resignation in 1972, after which he practice law privately for the next ten years. During his later career he specialized in condominium law, publishing a book on the subject titled Theory of Condominium and Cooperative Apartment Law (1993).
OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:
PERIODICALS
Chicago Tribune, March 3, 2004, sec. 3, p. 11.