Henry Wade | |
---|---|
Dallas County District Attorney | |
In office 1951 – January 1988 | |
Preceded by | Will Wilson |
Succeeded by | John Vance |
Personal details | |
Born | Henry Menasco Wade[1] November 11, 1914 Rockwall County, Texas, U.S. |
Died | March 1, 2001[1] Dallas, Texas, U.S. | (aged 86)
Political party | Democratic |
Alma mater | University of Texas[2] |
Occupation | Lawyer |
Known for | Prosecution of Jack Ruby Roe v. Wade |
Henry Menasco Wade (November 11, 1914 – March 1, 2001) was an American lawyer who served as district attorney of Dallas County from 1951 to 1987. He participated in two notable U.S. court cases of the 20th century: the prosecution of Jack Ruby for killing Lee Harvey Oswald, and the U.S. Supreme Court case that held abortion was a constitutional right, Roe v. Wade. In addition, Wade was district attorney when Randall Dale Adams, the subject of the 1988 documentary film The Thin Blue Line, was wrongfully convicted in the murder of Robert Wood, a Dallas police officer.