Joseph Anthony "Joe B" Bevilacqua, Sr.
b. December 1, 1918, Providence
d. June 21, 1989, Boston, Massachusetts

Bevilacqua entered political life in 1955, serving as a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives. He rose to the positions of majority leader in 1966 and Speaker in 1969, then was elected Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court in 1976. But then a 1984 Providence Journal investigation brought to light Bevilacqua's deep and long-standing ties to organized crime, which lead to impeachment proceedings and his resignation in 1986.