Fred Baron, 61, Dies of Cancer
Thu, 10/30/2008 - 7:03pm
Dallas trial lawyer and Democratic luminary Fred Baron passed away today of complications from bone marrow cancer. Baron was 61.
Fred Baron has repeatedly been named one of the top trial lawyers in America, having helped thousands of people injured by asbestos and other toxic substances. He was also a major contributor to the success of the Democratic party in the state and the nation. He was the founder and, early on, the primary financial donor of the Texas Democratic Trust, whose resources were pivotal in the Democratic gains in the state in 2006 and onward — the gains in the Texas House, successful defense of congressional seats, and the overwhelming Democratic takeover of Dallas County.
Fred Baron has made himself into a legend in political and legal circles, and his efforts have improved thousands of people's lives in concrete, tangible ways. Fred Baron was a giant, and his absence will be felt throughout the nation. My deepest condolences go out to Mr. Baron's family. He will be greatly missed.
Facebook
Twitter
Digg
Reddit
What Was And What Will Be
By Patrick M McLeod
Fri, 10/31/2008 - 3:16pm
Cancer has robbed us of so many of our Texas progressive luminaries these last few years. While Ann Richards was the superstar that was nationally recognized and Molly Ivins was the wit that millions looked forward to reading each week, Fred Baron's importance to Texas Democrats is easy to write off as a matter of money for most outsiders. Plenty of people will most likely say "oh he was just one of those rich trial lawyers" and move on.
But those of us who have stood by the party and stood up for our fellow Texas Democrats know what Fred Baron meant to us. It's so incredibly damned unfair that he didn't get to live another week to see what his belief in his fellow Texas Democrats would reap next Tuesday. It's even more unfair when you think about the next generation of folks who won't get to meet him, folks who will run for office in Texas as Democrats, a generation that will no doubt be encouraged and trained and funded through the legacy of Fred Baron's financial support.
I recently finished an excellent book about the people who stayed behind in the Dust Bowl during "The Dirty Thirties." Tim Egan closed his book about the people who remained behind when others fled the Dust Bowl saying that it takes a special kind of person to stay behind in a land that has forsaken you. When it came to the lay of the political land, there wasn't anything that felt more forsaken than identifying yourself as a Democrat in Texas in 2002. Fred Baron had the kind of resources such that he could have lived anywhere and he could have put his money behind Democratic causes that were not as on-the-ropes as we were in 2002. Yet he remained in Dallas and he put his money behind Texas Democrats.
Fred Baron stuck with us. I wish he could have stuck with us a little bit longer. I hope that every Texas Democrat, win or lose, whether a candidate or a staffer or a volunteer or a voter, will take a moment next Tuesday to remember Fred Baron.
In the midst of some fine tributes to Mr. Baron by George here and by Phillip Martin at Burnt Orange Report, I'd like to invoke Harold Cook's closing from his post over at Letters From Texas:
Amen.