James T. Foley, 80; Longest-Serving Federal Judge
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James T. Foley, the longest-serving federal judge in the country, has died in Albany, N.Y. He was 80.
He died Friday of a stroke.
Foley was first appointed to the bench on Feb. 16, 1949, by President Harry S. Truman, and his judicial career lasted more than 40 years. Serving on the U.S. District Court for northern New York, which is based in Albany, Foley was the court’s chief judge from 1963 to 1980. After his official retirement on July 1, 1980, he assumed senior judge status, hearing special cases.
In 1988, Congress authorized the renaming of Albany’s federal courthouse in the judge’s honor.
He is survived by his wife, Eleanor, and a daughter.
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