The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-08-27

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 "Ferd" is just built that way. To the tips of his fingers he is crusader, resourceful, in- defatigable and indomitable bat tier for causes.
 Long before anyone ever heard of Dewey, Pecora was rocking the nation and making history with his spectacular investigation of the greatest financial powers in the world = J. P. Morgan & Co.,, the Chase National Bank, the First National bank, Kuhn, Loeb & Co.,, and the New York Stock Exchange. That was really big game hunting with mighty na- tional issues at stake.
 Out of Pecora's disclosures came three of the most far-reaching re- forms of the New Deal - the Securities Act, the law creating the Securities and Exchange Com mission, and the Holding Con- pany Act.
 Following this, PecOra might have been the man standing in Dewey's shoes but for Tammany Hall.
 In 1883, thrilled by the magni- tude of his extraordinary achieve ments in Washington, Manhattan liberals ran him as an indepen- dent for district attorney. But the Wigwam, while suffering de- feat at the hands of Fiorello La- Guardia for the mayoralty, was still strong enough to elect its own man to the district attorneys office in New York county.
 It was this triumph which four years later was to open the way for Dewey and his big
 chance-the Hines trial.
 And Pecora, by now elevated to the State Supreme Court, was especially singled out by Governor Lehman to preside over the Dewey prosecutions. What thoughts may run through Pecora's mind as he sits on his judicial dais are his alone. But it is not unlikely that he frequently wishes he were down in the fighting arena before him.
 Lifelong Fighter
 Fighting comes natural to Pe- cora. He had to fight hard for everything he ever got in life.
 Born 56 years ago in the small village of Nicosia, Sicily, he was brought to the U. s. by his par ents when five years old. In his early teens his father died and Pecora took up the burden of supporting his mother, smaller brothers and sisters.
 His great ambition was to be lawyer, but 1t was not until he was 27 years old that he was able to realize it. The need of SUD- porting his family while working his way through school made 1t difficult to battle his way to the goal.
 An effective speaker and pos- sessed of an unusually ingratiat- ing personality, young Pecora was early attracted to politics. He joined the Democratic party, but the qualities of the crusader deep- ly ingrained in his soul kept him from tying up too closely with Tammany Hall. And Tammany, while appreciating his outstand- ing talents, was always chary.
 In politics 1t would allow him to progress only so far. In 1918 he was named an assist ant district attorney, and four years later, after especially bril- liant work, was elevated to chief assistant. But the district at- torneyship itself was carefully kept out of his reach. The Wig wam preferred safer" men.
 Its fears of Pecora were not without grounds. Although hold ing Democratic appointment in 1924, he supported the elder Sen- ator Bob LaFollette in his inde- pendent presidential campaign. Banking Probe
 Pecora remained chief assist ant district attorney until 1930, when he returned to private prac- tice. Three years later he was summoned to Washington to tackle the much befuddled and intellectual banking probe.
 Three predecessors had blown up on the job. The investigation had got nowhere. Wall Street was laughing up it's sleeve.
 Three months after Pecora had taken hold, that laugh had turned to 8 howl of outraged fury-not only in the Street but in the Senate committee.
 Led by Virginia's peppery little Senator Carter Glass, grOuD of committee mem.