Not elder law: belated notice re Tony Lapham
Tony Lapham, a mentor of mine at Shea & Gardner back in the day, died on Nov. 11. I worked for Tony as a young associate and learned much from him.
Anthony Abbot Lapham, 70, a former general counsel at the CentralIntelligence Agency and a dedicated environmentalist, died of a heartattack Nov. 11 while trout fishing with his son on the Cane River nearAsheville, N.C.
Mr. Lapham was the third general counsel in the agency’s history and the first brought in from outside.
That period came in the mid-1970s in the wake of congressionalhearings chaired by U.S. Sen. Frank Church (D-Idaho). The Churchcommittee investigated the alleged involvement of the nation’sintelligence agencies in assassination attempts against foreignleaders, spying on U.S. citizens and other illegal activities.
Appointedgeneral counsel in 1976 during the tenure of Director George H.W. Bush,Mr. Lapham served until 1979 under Bush’s successor, Adm. StansfieldTurner.
According to John Rizzo, the CIA’s acting generalcounsel, Mr. Lapham was the first agency general counsel to actuallysit in on meetings of CIA agents. “He insisted that there be anoperational presence,” Rizzo said. “To establish that beachhead wascritical. He was responsible for that.