John Froines was one of the defendants at the notorious Chicago Seven trial following the 1968 Democratic National Convention, as well as a chemist researching toxic substances.
- Died: July 13, 2022 (Who else died on July 13?)
- Details of death: Died at a hospital in Santa Monica, California of complications from Parkinson’s disease at the age of 83.
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Chicago Seven and later years
While studying chemistry at Yale, Froines became active with Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). That association led him to become one of thousands of protestors who demonstrated against the Vietnam War at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. As part of the inner circle of the protest’s organizers, Froines was arrested as the protest turned violent, and he was indicted as one of the Chicago Seven. In the highly publicized and chaotic trial, Froines was notably one of the more sober defendants, avoiding the courtroom antics that characterized the trial. He was acquitted of all charges by the jury, while five of his fellow dependents were found guilty of traveling between states with the intent to incite a riot. In the 2020 Aaron Sorkin film “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” Froines was portrayed by Daniel Flaherty.
In the years after his acquittal, Froines worked with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). He led the work that resulted in federal regulations on exposure to lead and cotton dust. Froines went on to research such topics as how air pollution affects human health, as well as the toxicity of substances including arsenic and pesticides. He was also a faculty member at UCLA.
Froines on his arrest
“There was a group of people gathered together on the last day of the demonstrations, and there was a discussion about blowing up the underground garage in Chicago, and I took one look at that and got my way out because the last thing in the world I wanted to do is to get tied in with people who are going to do Molotov cocktails, but I’m a Ph.D. chemist. So, I think that they saw me as the mobilization as a chemist, if you will.” —from a 2021 interview for the @ the Bar podcast
Tributes to John Froines
Full obituary: The New York Times
