Ronnie Earle
Ronnie Earle | |
|---|---|
Earle on a panel on ethics and government at Netroots Nation in Austin, Texas, July 2008 | |
| District Attorney for Travis County, Texas | |
| In office 1977–2009 | |
| Preceded by | Robert O. Smith |
| Succeeded by | Rosemary Lehmberg |
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 37-3 district | |
| In office July 29, 1973 – December 14, 1976 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ronald Dale Earle February 23, 1942 |
| Died | April 5, 2020 (aged 78) Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
Ronald Dale Earle (February 23, 1942 – April 5, 2020) was an American attorney, judge and Democratic Party politician who served as district attorney for Travis County, Texas from 1977 to 2009. He also represented Austin in the Texas House of Representatives from 1973 to 1976. Earle was a fixture in Travis County politics for over three decades and once joked that he was the "District Eternity". As the lead prosecutor in the state's capital, Earle led several high-profile prosecutions of state political figures, including himself, and gained national attention in September 2005 for filing charges under state campaign finance law against United States House of Representatives majority leader Tom DeLay which eventually resulted in DeLay's resignation from Congress. He also led criminal justice reform efforts in Travis County which focused on crime prevention, alternative sentencing, victim advocacy, and reintegration of criminal offenders into society.