/internal/media/dispatcher/72273/fullJoe Tonahill Oral History08/09/19962 3/4 × 4 × 3/4 in. (7 × 10.2 × 1.9 cm)
Duration: 65 MinutesHi-8 videotapeOral History Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza1996.055.00140Sony Hi8 videotape - master
Videotaped oral history interview with Joe Tonahill. A longtime lawyer in Jasper, Texas, Tonahill served as one of Jack Ruby's main defense attorneys during his 1964 trial and the subsequent appeal process. He continued to be associated with the case until Ruby's death in 1967.
Interview recorded at Mr. Tonahill's office on August 9, 1996 by Wes Wise and Bob Porter. The interview is one hour and five minutes long.Oral Histories643630E-1010.16000000000E-106.985000000015779Oral history1.90500000000E-10Videotaped oral history interview with Joe Tonahill. A longtime lawyer in Jasper, Texas, Tonahill served as one of Jack Ruby's main defense attorneys during his 1964 trial and the subsequent appeal process. He continued to be associated with the case until Ruby's death in 1967.
Interview recorded at Mr. Tonahill's office on August 9, 1996 by Wes Wise and Bob Porter. The interview is one hour and five minutes long.Oral historiesInterviewsJack Ruby trialAttorneyOswald, Lee HarveyRuby, JackTonahill, Joe H.DallasJack Ruby (OHC)Alongside his defense partner, flamboyant attorney Melvin Belli, lawyer Joe Tonahill (1913-2001) was one of the most colorful and frequently photographed personalities in the widely publicized Jack Ruby trial in 1964. In stark contrast to Belli, Tonahill exhibited a warm and folksy larger-than-life Texas charm that made him a favorite among journalists and photographers. Perhaps most notable was his brief yet blunt response to the guilty verdict on March 14, 1964: "It's a violent miscarriage of justice. I'm about to throw up!" During the trial, Tonahill was once fined $25 for throwing a pencil on the floor in anger. To much media fanfare, he dramatically paid the fine with a one hundred dollar bill. By searching "Tonahill" in the Museum's online collections database (Search tonahill (Objects) – Search – eMuseum (jfk.org), one can find a number of photographs and courtroom sketches featuring Joe Tonahill. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator