Joseph A. Bevilacqua, Sr.

Joseph Anthony Bevilacqua Sr. (December 1, 1918 – June 21, 1989) was chief justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1976 through 1986. His career was tarnished due to his association with organized crime.

Early life and career Bevilacqua grew up in Silver Lake, an Italian-American neighborhood of Providence. He served in the Army from 1941 to 1946, achieving the rank of First Lieutenant and serving in the Italian campaign of World War II where he was wounded and received a Purple Heart.