Occupation Judge Role Judge Service/branch Army Alma mater University of Florida | Years of service 1952-1955 Political party Democratic Party Name Thomas Gallen Unit Special Forces | |
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Born December 28, 1932 (age 91)
Tampa, Florida ( 1932-12-28 ) | ||
Palmetto mayor sworn into office
Thomas “Tom” Gallen, Jr. (born December 28, 1932) is a retired Florida State legislator and Circuit Judge.
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Early life and education
Gallen was born in Tampa, Florida in 1932. He attended the University of Tampa, leaving during the Korean War in order to enlist in the Army Special Forces. He was a member of the inaugural group of Green Berets formed in 1952 and deployed to Bad Tolz, Germany in 1953, serving until 1955. After leaving the army he returned to school, receiving a BS in Business Administration from Florida State University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Florida. Gallen's father, Thomas Gallen, Sr., had been a lawyer as well, practicing for only a few months before the Great Depression, then leaving law, but Gallen Jr. was never made aware of this fact until after he graduated from law school.
Legal Career and Public Service
Gallen was a law partner at the law firm of Miller Gallen Kaklis and Venable from 1960 to 1985. During this period he also held public office, serving as a member of the Florida legislature for 12 years, first in the Florida House of Representatives, where he served from 1965-1972, before being elected to the Florida Senate. During his time in the Senate, he became chairman of the Senate Rules and Calendar Committee. He served in the Florida Senate from 1972-1978 before leaving office, opting to return to practicing law rather than seeking reelection. In 1985, he was elected to the 12th Judicial Circuit as a Circuit Judge, where he was elected as Chief Judge in 1998, and served until he retired in 2002. In 2005, Judge Gallen received the Manatee County Bar’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He currently serves as a Senior Circuit Judge for the 12th Judicial Circuit and Associate Judge on the 2nd District Court of Appeals. In 2009, he issued a legal opinion that lead to the release of James Bain, after DNA evidence was used to prove he was wrongfully convicted of rape after 35 years in prison. In 2013, he was named to the Manatee County Rural Health Services Board of Directors.