I’ve never lost any sleep,” he has said, “over men I helped send to the chair.


Richard Sprague was a Philadelphian through and through. He was born in the city. He graduated from Temple University and University of Pennsylvania Law School. He gained a reputation as a prosecutor of tough cases and gained national recognition by obtaining a conviction of United Mine Workers President, Tony Boyle in the murder of Jock Yablonski.

In 1976 Congressman Thomas Downing began questioning the Warren Commission report and demanded more investigation should be done. He was certain that Oswald, if he was the shooter, did not work alone, particularly in view of the recent murders of Sam Giancana and Johnny Roselli. He believed that the CIA and FBI were not forthcoming in there testimony before the commission.

Downing named Sprague as the chief counsel to the House Select Committee on Assassinations. He wanted someone who could get to the answers. Sprague assembled a team of 170 attorneys and a budget of 6.5 million dollars. Other members of the committee were not willing to spend that much money and he never finished the job.

Gaeton Fonzi on looking back and Sprague's involvement commented, "Sprague was known as tough, tenacious and independent. There was absolutely no doubt in my mind when I heard of Sprague's appointment that the Kennedy assassination would finally get what it needed: a no-holds-barred, honest investigation. Which just goes to show how ignorant of the ways of Washington both Sprague and I were.

Richard Sprague told Fonzi the real reason he was replace was that he was asking questions of the CIA's operations in Mexico and complete access to their employees. The CIA demanded he sign a non-disclosure agreement which would have complete neutered his investigation.

So he returned to the City of Brotherly Love where he continued to be the bane of the resident criminal class.

Fearless: The Richard A. Sprague Story
by Josheph R. Daughen

Traces the career of the influential Philadelphia lawyer to assess his historical and cultural contributions, providing coverage of such topics as his successful work as a prosecutor, his investigations into the murders of a president and a civil rights leader and his role in convicting a murderer who killed union leaders.