Eugene Coon

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Eugene L. Coon, Sr.

|image =

|office = Chairperson of the
Allegheny County Democratic Party

|term_start = March 21, 1970

|term_end = June 1, 1978{{cite news|last=Uhl|first=Sherley|title=Wecht At Dem Helm, Rips Party Dissidents|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rzIcAAAAIBAJ&pg=5888,22178&dq=cyril+wecht+democratic+chair&hl=en|access-date=December 30, 2011|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|date=June 1, 1978}}

|predecessor = Thomas Barrett

|successor = Cyril Wecht

|office2 = Allegheny County Sheriff

|term_start2 = January 2, 1970{{cite news|last=Smock|first=Douglas|title=Elected Officials Set For Oath Ceremonies|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hptRAAAAIBAJ&pg=4688,575082&dq=allegheny+county+sworn+in&hl=en|access-date=December 30, 2011|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date=January 2, 1970}}

|term_end2 = December 27, 1997{{cite news|title=Metropolitan Area News in Brief|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PI&s_site=philly&p_multi=PI&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB32F6B4B6377AD&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|access-date=December 30, 2011|newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer|date=December 29, 1997}}

|predecessor2 = William Davis

|successor2 = Pete DeFazio

|party = Democratic Party

|alma_mater = University of Pittsburgh

|birth_date = {{birth date|1928|11|15}}

|birth_place = Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.

|death_date = {{death date and age|1998|10|15|1928|11|15}}

|death_place =

|module = {{Infobox police officer|embed=yes

|department = Pittsburgh Police
Allegheny County Sheriff

|serviceyears = 1952–1969
(Pittsburgh Police)
1970–1998
(Allegheny Sheriff)

|rank = 25px - Elected Sheriff
1970-1997
10px - "Detective in Charge" of Vice
1959-1969
25px - Sergeant
1957-1959
Commissioned as a Patrolman
1952- 1957

}}}}

Eugene L. Coon (November 15, 1928 – October 15, 1998){{cite web|url=http://death-records.mooseroots.com/l/109233894/Eugene-L-Coon|title=Eugene L. Coon|website=death-records.mooseroots.com}}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} was a long-time Sheriff of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania (serving Pittsburgh and its immediate suburbs) and an influential figure in the local Democratic Party.{{cite news|last=O'Toole|first=James|title=Longtime sheriff Eugene Coon dies|work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|publisher=PG Publishing|date=1998-10-22|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/regionstate/19981022coon3.asp}} He served in the U.S. Army in 1947–1948 and in 1950 for the Korean War until 1952.

Early life

Coon graduated from Perry High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1947. He attended University of Pittsburgh, studying prelaw.{{cite news|title=Eugene L. Coon, 63, Pittsburgh|newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|page=E5|publisher=P.G. Publishing Co.|date=May 11, 1993}}

Army service

Coon served in the U.S. Army in 1947–1948, then re-enlisted in 1950 for the Korean War, where he was a combat infantryman in the 1st Cavalry Division, serving until 1952.

Law enforcement career

Coon began his career as an officer for the Pittsburgh Police in 1952, and rose through the ranks to assistant superintendent. Coon was elected Sheriff in 1969, succeeding the retiring William Davis.{{cite news|title=The New Sheriff|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=K88yAAAAIBAJ&pg=4642,114670&dq=eugene+coon+allegheny+county+sheriff&hl=en|access-date=December 30, 2011|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|date=October 16, 1969}} He was once called "America's Toughest Cop" by a men's magazine. While he was head of the Pittsburgh homicide squad, the unit solved 57 homicides in a row. He resigned from the Pittsburgh Police in 1969{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=I5xRAAAAIBAJ&pg=6891,3121518|title=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Google News Archive Search|website=news.google.com}} to run as a Democrat for Sheriff of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, a position he would hold through seven subsequent elections, ending his career in 1997. He became chair of the Allegheny County Democratic party in the early 1970s. He also ran unsuccessfully for Allegheny County Commissioner and Pittsburgh Mayor.

Coon gained national recognition on January 3, 1983 when he refused to place homes of unemployed steel workers up for public sale following foreclosure proceedings.{{Cite news | title = AROUND THE NATION; Pittsburgh Judge Halts Mortgage Foreclosures| newspaper = The New York Times| date = January 6, 1983| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1983/01/06/us/around-the-nation-pittsburgh-judge-halts-mortgage-foreclosures.html}}

He was named to the Pennsylvania Police Hall of Fame on January 27, 1990 and served as a bagpiper in many a St. Patrick's Day parade. He died in his South Side home on Oct. 21, 1998, at age 68.{{cite news | title = Souls who enriched our lives, our region - Eugene Coon | work = Pittsburgh Tribune Review | publisher = Tribune-Review Publishing Co. | date = 2002-12-01 | url = http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/specialreports/10year/s_105329.html | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070324123031/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/specialreports/10year/s_105329.html | archive-date = 2007-03-24 }}{{cite news| last = Mistick| first = Joseph Sabino| title = The sheriff| work = Pittsburgh Tribune Review| publisher = The Tribune-Review Publishing Co.| date = 2006-11-26| url = http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/columnists/mistick/s_481249.html| access-date = 2009-06-25| archive-url = https://archive.today/20120907225122/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/columnists/mistick/s_481249.html| archive-date = 2012-09-07| url-status = dead}}{{cite news | title = Editorial -- Sheriff Coon | work = Pittsburgh Post-Gazette| publisher = PG Publishing| date = 1998-10-28| url = http://www.post-gazette.com/forum/19981026edcoon2.asp}}{{cite news | last = Hritz | first = Tom | title = Born to be sheriff | work = Pittsburgh Post-Gazette| publisher = PG Publishing| date = 1998-10-25| url = http://www.post-gazette.com/forum/19981025hritz5.asp}}

FBI files

It was revealed in 2011 by WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh that the FBI had kept extensive files on Sheriff Coon beginning in the early to mid-1970s and suspected him of "protecting" and "enforcing" for the Pittsburgh Mob, most notably Tony Grosso's organization.

No charges or public investigation were ever pursued, however the files connect Coon with the same organization that Federal investigators suspected in the death of District Attorney for Pittsburgh Robert Duggan in early 1974. Then-United States District Attorney, and later Governor of Pennsylvania, Richard Thornburgh chose to close the cases and the investigation by 1975.

Accident

In 1988 Sheriff Coon was involved as a pedestrian in an accident with a car, losing one of his legs because of injuries he had suffered.{{cite web|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/forum/19981026edcoon2.asp|title=Editorial -- Sheriff Coon|website=www.post-gazette.com}}

Rifle shots at party

While in his last term as Sheriff on November 6, 1994, Coon was disturbed at his suburban Donegal second home by a party target shooting next door while he was taking a nap. Pennsylvania State Police responded after Coon had attempted to have his neighbor quiet the party and exhausted in failing that, fired rifle shots to quiet the party crowd.{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5uJRAAAAIBAJ&pg=6033,1042476|title=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Google News Archive Search|website=news.google.com}}