San Diego Criminal Justice Memorial
Honorees
A memorial directory honoring deceased judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys who advanced criminal justice in San Diego County.
Clifford K. Fitzgerald
1896-1971
Clifford Fitzgerald was born in Chicago in 1896. The family moved to San Diego in 1904. He attended Sherman grammar school and the San Diego Army and Navy Academy. He graduated as a senior cadet officer with the rank of Captain and Adjutant. Clifford graduated from Officers Training School in San Fernando and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant. After leaving the service, he studied law at the University of Southern California. He was admitted to the Bar in 1920. Clifford practiced law with his wife, an attorney, and his brother, later the Honorable Roy Fitzgerald.
Clifford was a trial lawyer par excellence, a defense counsel always in demand. A great cross-examiner, he was noted for his defense skills in the local military unit. He achieved an outstanding reputation as a trial lawyer – especially noted for his ability to conduct comprehensive voir dire examinations of prospective jurors that laid the groundwork for his defense case. He was thought to have no equal in this regard. In one celebrated case involving a state public official accused of taking kickbacks from his secretary’s salary, Fitzgerald’s masterful voir dire examination of a large panel of jurors and a creative defense of “a woman scorned” led to an very unexpected acquittal. Who can say as to the justice of the decision given the strong paper trail of invoices and the secretary’s testimony against her boss, but the lawyerly skills on behalf of his client was amply demonstrated.
His representation was particularly sought by members of the United States Naval Service. Both officers and enlisted personnel retained Fitzgerald’s services in general court martial proceedings, as well as in the civilian courts. He had the very unique characteristic of demonstrating his concern for his client’s welfare by invariably sitting patiently in the back of the trial courtroom with his client to await the jury’s decision. Whether that be hours or days, Fitzgerald would sit alone until the final resolution of the matter.
He left his mark on all who witnessed his court presence, his remarkable abilities, and his high professional standards. He passed away on April 4, 1971.