Henry Wade

Henry Menasco Wade was an American lawyer who served as district attorney of Dallas County from 1951 to 1988. He participated in two notable U.S. court cases of the 20th century: the prosecution of Jack Ruby for killing Lee Harvey Oswald, and the U.S. Supreme Court case that held abortion was a constitutional right, Roe v. Wade. In addition, Wade was district attorney when Randall Dale Adams, the subject of the 1988 documentary film The Thin Blue Line, was wrongfully convicted in the murder of Robert Wood, a Dallas police officer. After his term and death, Wade was criticized for his corruption, ranging from wrongful convictions to attitudes and certain comments on race.