Former St. John the Baptist Parish District Attorney Tom Daley, who ended his re-election bid last year after a recurrence of brain cancer, died Saturday. He was 61.
Daley's death came less than three months after he dropped out of the runoff election, saying his doctors had told him he was suffering a recurrence of cancer. His withdrawal meant challenger Bridget Dinvaut was elected, becoming the first African-American woman ever elected district attorney in Louisiana.
A native of New Jersey, Daley attended college at Rutgers, earned a master of laws degree at the University of Virginia School of Law and then moved to New Orleans for law school at Loyola University, according to his family.
After Loyola, Daley launched a 36-year legal career that included work as an assistant district attorney, district court judge and finally a seat on the state 5th Circuit Court of Appeal that he resigned in 2008 to run for district attorney.
He was previously selected as Judge of the Year by the Louisiana Bar Foundation.
Daley was a past member of the Louisiana Judicial College, the Supreme Court Committee on Judicial Ethics and taught law at Delgado and LSU.
For many years, Daley also served as chairman of Keep St. John Beautiful and the St. John Shade Tree Committee. He was a parishioner of St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in LaPlace. He was a past member of the 4-H Foundation and a former president of the Belle Terre II Civic Association.
Daley is survived by his wife Margaret and two daughters, five brothers and five sisters.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
