T. F. Gilroy Daly papers

Thomas Francis Gilroy Daly, known as T. F. Gilroy Daly, was born on February 25, 1931, in New York City. He received his B.A. from Georgetown University in 1952. Daly served in Korea in the U. S. Army Rangers from 1953 to 1955 and attained the rank of first lieutenant. After completion of military service, Daly went to Yale Law School where he obtained his J.D. in 1957 and received the John Fletcher Caskey Prize for outstanding performance in a moot court trial.

After graduation, Daly practiced law in Washington, D.C., for five years. He then served as an assistant United States attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1961 to 1964. Daly practiced law in Connecticut from 1964 to 1977. In addition to his practice, he held several positions in Connecticut government: deputy state attorney general from 1967 to 1971, special assistant to the state attorney general from 1971 to 1975, deputy state treasurer from 1975 to 1976, and state insurance commissioner from 1976 to 1977.

Daly gained prominence in the 1970s for his pivotal role in obtaining freedom for Peter Reilly. In 1974, Reilly, aged eighteen, was convicted of manslaughter in the stabbing death of his mother. The conviction was largely based upon Reilly's confession, which his supporters maintained was the product of police coercion. After his conviction, Reilly's supporters convinced Daly to enter the case and appeal the conviction. It was discovered that the prosecutor, now dead, had not disclosed exculpatory evidence to Reilly's attorney. After a six-week hearing, Reilly was released from prison and the charge was dismissed.

Daly was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to serve as a United States District Court judge for the District of Connecticut in 1977. He served on the Court until his death in 1996. He was chief judge of the District of Connecticut from 1983 to 1988.

T. F. Gilroy Daly died on July 11, 1996, and was survived by his wife, Stuart Stetson Daly, and their four children, Timothy, Loan, Matthew, and Anna.