- William Swain Lee
Infobox Person
name = William Swain Lee
caption =
birth_date = December 18, 1935
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death_date =
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known_for = Judge in theThomas Capano trial
occupation = Judge
nationality = flagicon|USAmerican
alma_mater = Duke and University of PennsylvaniaWilliam Swain Lee (born
December 18 ,1935 ) is an Americanlawyer andpolitician from Georgetown, in Sussex County,Delaware . He is a member of the Republican Party, who served as a judge of theDelaware Superior Court . He was the 2004 Republican candidate forGovernor of Delaware and is again the nominee in the 2008 election cycle.Early life and family
Lee was born
December 18 ,1935 , son of Dr. Walter H. Lee and Virginia Swain Lee. He attended school inMiddletown, Delaware and graduated fromWilmington Friends School in 1953. He later graduated fromDuke University and theUniversity of Pennsylvania Law School , where he earned a law degree in 1960. He went on to serve in theUnited States Marine Corps . [ [http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/pre/DE/G/00/36839/frameset.exclude.html CNN.com ] ]Judicial career
All judges are appointed by the
Governor of Delaware . In 1977, GovernorPierre S. du Pont IV appointed Lee as an Associate Judge in the Delaware Family Court. In 1986, GovernorMichael N. Castle appointed Lee to theDelaware Superior Court, and Resident Judge of Sussex County three years later. Lee is best known as the presiding judge of the 1998 murder trial of influential lawyer and former gubernatorial chief-of-staffThomas J. Capano . Capano had been charged with the 1996 murder of GovernorThomas R. Carper 's personal scheduler, Anne Marie Fahey. Capano was a wealthy, well-connected lawyer, known to nearly everyone inDelaware 's political community. Fahey, an attractive 30 year old member of another well-known family, was attempting to end a romantic relationship with the married Capano, when he murdered her and dumped her body in theAtlantic Ocean . The highly publicized case was prosecuted byU.S. Attorney Colm F. Connelly and resulted in Capano being convicted, and then sentenced to death in 1999. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B03E7DE1F3EF934A25750C0A96F958260 Death Penalty For Killing Of Mistress - New York Times ] ] Lee said Capano is a "ruthless murderer who feels compassion for no one and remorse only for the circumstances in which he finds himself. He is a malignant force from whom no one he deems disloyal or adversarial can be secure, even if he is incarcerated for the rest of his life." [ [http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/classics/capano/7.html The Rise and Fall of Thomas Capano The Crime Library - Crime Library on truTV.com ] ]Political career
Before he became a judge, Lee served as Counsel to the Sussex County Republican Committee from 1965 to 1972, when he became General Counsel to the
Delaware Republican State Committee. From 1973 until 1977 he was the Sussex County Republican Party Chairman. In 1976, he was among the delegates who actively supportedRonald Reagan in his effort to win the Republican nomination for President.In 1999, Lee resigned his judicial post, and sought the Republican nomination for governor. He faced
Delaware State Chamber of Commerce President John M. Burris and State House SpeakerTerry Spence . Burris, after receiving the endorsement of the state Republican Party, won the primary by less than fifty votes.In 2004, Lee again sought the Republican nomination, this time winning the state party's endorsement, and easily winning the Republican primary. Although he was able to run a very competitive campaign, Lee ultimately fell short of defeating the incumbent Governor,
Ruth Ann Minner , in the general election.In 2008, Lee was drafted by the Republican Party in Delaware to be their Gubernatorial candidate, over his announced opponent,
Michael D. Protack . During the 2008 convention for the Delaware Republican Party, Lee received over 80% of the delegate votes in the draft, despite not being present. Lee filed his campaign paperwork on May 9 and announced he will make the run for governor. Along withCharlie Copeland , theLieutenant Governor nominee, Bill Lee is campaigning across the state. [http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080514/NEWS02/805140341]Electoral history
References
Additional Resources
*"And Never Let Her Go: Thomas Capano: The Deadly Seducer" by Ann Rule
*"Fatal Embrace: The Inside Story Of The Thomas Capano/Anne Marie Fahey Murder Case" (St. Martin's True Crime Library.) by Cris BarrishExternal links
* [http://www.leedelaware.com Bill Lee for Governor 2008]
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