{{short description|American lawyer and politician}} {{Infobox officeholder | birth_name = Charles Carmen Foti Jr. | image = | office = 43rd Louisiana Attorney General | governor = Kathleen Blanco | party = Democrat | term_start = January 12, 2004 | term_end = January 14, 2008 | preceded = Richard Ieyoub | succeeded = Buddy Caldwell | office2 = Sheriff of Orleans Parish, Louisiana | term_start2 = 1974 | term_end2 = 2004 | preceded2 = | succeeded2 = Marlin N. Gusman (elected 2004)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://staticresults.sos.la.gov/11022004/11022004_36.html|title=Louisiana general election returns, November 2, 2004|publisher=staticresults.sos.la.gov|accessdate=October 26, 2011}}</ref> | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1937|11|30}} | birth_place = | death_place = | death_date = | resting_place = | profession = Attorney | alma_mater = University of New Orleans (BA)<br />Loyola University New Orleans (JD) | spouse = | children = | parents = | allegiance = {{flag|United States}} | branch = {{army|United States}} | service_years = 1955-1958 | battles = Vietnam War | rank = | unit = | footnotes = }} '''Charles Carmen Foti Jr.''' (born November 30, 1937) is an American attorney and politician who served from 2004 to 2008 as Attorney General of Louisiana. Prior to becoming attorney general, Foti served for thirty years as Sheriff of Orleans Parish.
Foti won the attorney general's office when the incumbent Democrat, Richard Ieyoub of Lake Charles, ran unsuccessfully for governor in the 2003 primary. Foti defeated the Republican candidate, Suzanne Haik Terrell, also of New Orleans, 689,179 votes (54 percent) to 597,917 (46 percent).
Foti failed in his bid to win reelection as attorney general, having finished last in the three-way nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 20, 2007. The leading candidates were the Republican lawyer, Royal Alexander of Shreveport, and the Democratic District Attorney, Buddy Caldwell, of Tallulah. Caldwell won the general election<ref>{{cite web|url=http://voterportal.sos.la.gov/static/2007-11-17/resultsRace/Statewide|title=Results for Election Date: 11/17/2007|publisher=staticresults.sos.la.gov|accessdate=February 5, 2014}}</ref> and was sworn in to replace Foti on January 14, 2008. Caldwell later switched to the Republican Party in 2011, to secure his second term.
On February 1, 2014, Foti ran again for the Orleans Parish sheriff's position; he finished second in a four-candidate field. He polled 23,676 votes (28.6 percent). Foti's fellow Democrat and successor as sheriff, Marlin Gusman Sr., with 40,557 votes (48.9 percent), nearly won the position outright in the nonpartisan blanket primary.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://staticresults.sos.la.gov/02012014/02012014_36.html|title=Louisiana election returns, February 1, 2014|publisher=staticresults.sos.la.gov|accessdate=February 5, 2014}}</ref> Foti and Gusman entered a runoff election on March 15,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2014/02/sheriff_marlin_gusmans_re-elec.html|title=Jarvis DeBerry, Sheriff Marlin Gusman's re-election bid thwarted by Quentin Brown, lawn-care guy, February 3, 2014|newspaper=New Orleans Times-Picayune|accessdate=February 5, 2014}}</ref> in which Gusman handily prevailed, 40,068 (66.7 percent) to Foti's 19,996 (33.3 percent).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://staticresults.sos.la.gov/03152014/03152014_36.html|title=Results for Election Date: 3/15/2014: Orleans Parish|publisher=staticresults.sos.la.gov|accessdate=April 24, 2014}}</ref>
==Early life and education== Foti was born in 1937 in New Orleans. He attended public schools, graduating from Warren Easton High School in the city. He earned a Bachelor's degree at the University of New Orleans, where he was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.<ref>{{cite web |title=Distinguished Alumni |url=https://www.tke.org/about/distinguished-alumni |publisher=Tau Kappa Epsilon |access-date=November 23, 2023}}</ref> After military service and working, Foti returned to university, earning a J.D., Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in 1965.
==Personal== From 1955 to 1958, Foti served in the United States Army.<ref>"Charles Foti", ''Campaigns and Elections''</ref>
A long-time advocate for the elderly, during his time as criminal sheriff, Foti organized Thanksgiving meals for New Orleans senior citizens who were alone or could not afford a holiday meal. He also started a back-to-work program for seniors over the age of fifty-five. As attorney general, Foti investigated and prosecuted abuse of the elderly in Louisiana's health-care facilities.
After vacating the attorney general's office, Foti joined the New Orleans law firm Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC, where he engages in the practice of securities and consumer fraud law.<ref>[http://neworleans.dbusinessnews.com/shownews.php?newsid=148433&type_news=latest ''Daily Business News''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110823044524/http://neworleans.dbusinessnews.com/shownews.php?newsid=148433&type_news=latest |date=August 23, 2011 }}</ref>
==Criticism==
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Foti as State AG prosecuted private citizens on behalf of the numerous elderly New Orleans residents who died in flooding, power failures, and resulting disaster. Foti reportedly claimed that some medical staff, who worked at Memorial Hospital in New Orleans during the storm, had murdered several patients.<ref name="sentence."> {{Cite news |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0609220137sep22,1,2113203.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed |publisher=Associated Press |title=Doctor accused in Katrina deaths asserts innocence |date=2006-09-22}}</ref> In July 2007, Dr. Pou sued Foti, accusing him of playing politics with her life and the dead from Katrina.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://blog.nola.com/times-picayune/2007/07/foti_sued_by_doctor_accused_in.html |title=Foti sued by doctor accused in Memorial Hospital deaths |newspaper=The Times-Picayune |author=Gwen Filosa |date=2007-07-16 |access-date=2009-07-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930230559/http://blog.nola.com/times-picayune/2007/07/foti_sued_by_doctor_accused_in.html |archive-date=2011-09-30 |url-status=dead }}</ref> After the police conducted a lengthy investigation, a grand jury in July 2007 declined to indict Pou. <ref> {{Cite news |url=http://www.wdsu.com/news/13744299/detail.html |title='Dark Cloud' Lifted From Pou, Attorney Says: Grand Jury Declines To Indict Doctor In Hospital Deaths |publisher=WDSU |date=2007-07-24 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927225952/http://www.wdsu.com/news/13744299/detail.html |archivedate=2011-09-27 }}</ref> The charges have since been expunged. In 2009, the legislature passed a bill to pay Dr. Pou's legal fees, which was signed by Governor Bobby Jindal.<ref name=ap090701> {{Cite news |url=http://www.abc26.com/news/local/wgno-news-pou070109-story,0,4892289.story |title=Gov. Jindal Signs Bill To Reimburse Anna Pou |publisher=Associated Press |date=2009-07-01 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825230018/http://www.abc26.com/news/local/wgno-news-pou070109-story%2C0%2C4892289.story |archivedate=2012-08-25 }}</ref> Several lawmakers have apologized for the accusations against Pou.<ref name=ap090701/> The failed prosecution of Dr. Pou was an issue during Foti's unsuccessful re-election campaign in 2007.<ref> {{cite news |url=http://www.nola.com/elections/index.ssf/2007/10/attorney_general_agriculture_r.html |title=Foti out as attorney general |newspaper=The Times-Picayune |author=Bill Barrow |date=2007-10-21}}</ref>
In a related story, the owners of a nursing home near Poydras filed a civil suit against federal, state and local officials, including the Army Corps of Engineers, Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, Attorney General Charles C. Foti Jr., and numerous other authorities and agencies for failing to evacuate nursing home residents during the hurricane.<ref name="storm.">{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-sep-06-na-nursing6-story.html |newspaper=LA Times |title=Care Home Owners Sue in Katrina Deaths |year=2006 }}</ref>
==Electoral history== '''Criminal Sheriff, Parish of Orleans, 1990'''
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, February 3, 1990
{| class="wikitable" ! Candidate ! Affiliation ! Support ! Outcome |- |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Charles Foti |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Democratic |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| needs more research |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Elected |- |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Henry Julien Jr. |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Democratic |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| needs more research |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Defeated |}
'''Criminal Sheriff, Parish of Orleans, 1994'''
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, February 5, 1994
{| class="wikitable" ! Candidate ! Affiliation ! Support ! Outcome |- |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Charles Foti |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Democratic |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Unopposed |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Elected |}
'''Criminal Sheriff, Parish of Orleans, 1998'''
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, February 7, 1998
{| class="wikitable" ! Candidate ! Affiliation ! Support ! Outcome |- |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Charles Foti |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Democratic |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Unopposed |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Elected |}
'''Criminal Sheriff, Parish of Orleans, 2002'''
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, February 2, 2002
{| class="wikitable" ! Candidate ! Affiliation ! Support ! Outcome |- |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Charles Foti |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Democratic |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| 90,897 (71%) |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Elected |- |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Morris Reed |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Democratic |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| 27,378 (22%) |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Defeated |- |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Orlando Matthews |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Democratic |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| 9,014 (7%) |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Defeated |}
'''Attorney General of Louisiana, 2003'''
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, October 4, 2003
{| class="wikitable" ! Candidate ! Affiliation ! Support ! Outcome |- |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Charles Foti |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Democratic |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| 689,179 (54%) |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Elected |- |bgcolor=#FFE8E8| Suzanne Haik Terrell |bgcolor=#FFE8E8| Republican |bgcolor=#FFE8E8| 597,917 (46%) |bgcolor=#FFE8E8| Defeated |}
'''Attorney General of Louisiana, 2007'''
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, October 20, 2007
{| class="wikitable" ! Candidate ! Affiliation ! Support ! Outcome |- |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| James "Buddy" Caldwell |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Democratic |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| 434,111 (36%) |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Runoff |- |bgcolor=#FFE8E8| Royal Alexander |bgcolor=#FFE8E8| Republican |bgcolor=#FFE8E8| 395,649 (32%) |bgcolor=#FFE8E8| Runoff |- |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Charles Foti |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Democratic |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| 389,568 (32%) |bgcolor=#DDEEFF| Defeated |} {{Portal|Biography|United States|Law|Politics}}
==References== <references/>
==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20060828100443/http://www.ag.state.la.us/Bio.aspx Official site]
{{S-start}} {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef|before=Richard Ieyoub}} {{s-ttl|title=Democratic nominee for Attorney General of Louisiana|years=2003}} {{s-aft|after=Buddy Caldwell}} {{s-legal}} {{Succession box| title=Attorney General of Louisiana| before=Richard Ieyoub| after=James "Buddy" Caldwell | years=2004–2008}} {{S-end}} {{Louisiana Attorneys General}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foti, Charles}} Category:Living people Category:1937 births Category:Louisiana attorneys general Category:Louisiana Democrats Category:Warren Easton High School alumni Category:University of New Orleans alumni Category:Loyola University New Orleans alumni Category:Politicians from New Orleans Category:Sheriffs in Louisiana Category:United States Army soldiers Category:Lawyers from New Orleans