Influential lawyer lobbyist Thomas Hale Boggs dies at 73
Thomas Hale Boggs Jr. has died at 73. Photo courtesy of Squire Patton Boggs.
A Washington, D.C., lawyer and lobbyist who helped shape Patton Boggs into a powerhouse lobbying firm died on Sunday at the age of 73.
Thomas Hale Boggs Jr. died from an apparent heart attack, according to Boggs’ sister, journalist Cokie Roberts. The New York Times, the Washington Post and the National Law Journal have stories. Squire Patton Boggs issued a press release, available here (PDF), describing Boggs as chairman emeritus of the merged law firm.
Don Moorehead, a member of the global board of Squire Patton Boggs, said in the press release that Boggs “was a one-of-a-kind individual who pioneered the now widely imitated combination of law and public policy and played key roles in shaping the policy and political agenda for decades.” The Washington Post described him as “a heavyweight in Washington influence peddling.”
Boggs helped put together the congressional bailout of Chrysler Corp., lobbied for free trade and worked to block tort reform measures that made it more difficult to sue.
The Post credits Boggs with changing the nature of lobbying. “Starting in the late 1960s—when lobbying was often a one-man operation or done by a trade association—Mr. Boggs helped transform the profession into a sprawling, multibillion-dollar enterprise that seeks access and then regulatory action across a vast spectrum of public policy goals,” the newspaper says. “He helped pioneer the ‘revolving door’ culture of hiring former members of Congress and others with enough prestige to get the right people on the phone, fast.”
