Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Obituary

Fred Barksdale, lawyer, old-line politician, 83

He was known for his political activism and law career, but some illegal acts marred his career. He died at age 83.

By SHERRI DAY
Published February 9, 2005

TAMPA - Fred C. Barksdale, an old-line political power broker and criminal defense lawyer who was at the heart of a widely publicized ticket-fixing scheme, died Saturday. He was 83.

Mr. Barksdale had a heart attack in his Sunset Park home, said his eldest daughter, Martha Sue Barksdale Thompson.

He was a longtime yellow-dog Democrat who switched to the GOP.

At the peak of his influence, a Barksdale endorsement could launch an army of placard holders and precinct workers.

"It was a different type of politics," said Charlie Miranda, a former Tampa City Council member. "You didn't have to raise much money. It was how many people you knew and how many hands you could shake that showed you how much strength you had."

Mr. Barksdale was a Tampa native with a law degree from Stetson University, but his career was marred by forays outside the law.

He was twice reprimanded by the Florida Supreme Court for misdeeds, including attempted bribery of a police officer in 1957.

In 1980, a federal judge convicted Mr. Barksdale of tax evasion and obstruction of justice.

Prosecutors charged that he and another lawyer worked with a Hillsborough County judge to reduce drunken-driving tickets for 200 drivers in the 1970s.

A federal judge ruled that Mr. Barksdale failed to pay taxes on the money he received from the ticket scandal. He had also told former clients to destroy records and lie to the Internal Revenue Service.

He was sentenced to six years in federal prison.

Although his law license was temporarily suspended, he was eventually reinstated to the Florida Bar Association.

His personal life also made news.

In 1973, his common-law wife was found dead in a clothing shop on Busch Boulevard. At the time, he was legally married to another woman. One man, later exonerated, was nearly executed for the crime.

The case remains unsolved.

Mr. Barksdale was born Feb. 21, 1921, in Tampa. He graduated from Hillsborough High School and earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Tampa, before attending Stetson.

He was a member of the Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church, the American Legion Seminole Post #111 and Veterans of Foreign Wars. He served as an Army combat infantry officer during World War II and was in the Army Reserve until 1955, his family said.

Survivors include his wife, Susan Frye Barksdale; a son, Donald W. Barksdale of Brandon; three daughters, Thompson of Miami, Okla., and Amanda Barksdale and Stephanie Barksdale Wilson, both of Tampa; and two grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

In retirement, Mr. Barksdale relished discourse with fellow members of the West Tampa Men's Coffee Club, Miranda among them.

He spent his days reading the encyclopedia. Only last week, he was at the library searching for information to shore up an argument about Vatican City.

"I have never seen anyone who was so curious about anything," Thompson said.

"That was his favorite saying: "Trust, but verify."'

Information from Times files was used in this report.

[Last modified February 9, 2005, 00:43:19]