Clay Shaw and the Downfall of a Luminary
For all the good Shaw did for the French Quarter, he couldn’t escape the web he became entangled in the John F. Kennedy assassination in 1963. New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison pursued Shaw as part of a conspiracy to kill the President. But some historians believe Garrison targeted Shaw because of his homosexuality; statements like the assassination was part of a “homosexual thrill killing” add fuel to that claim. Shaw was the only person to stand trial for a role in the Kennedy assassination. A jury declared Shaw not guilty. Unfortunately, Shaw had spent most of his money on his defense. Despite retiring with honors, including the International Order of Merit from the City of New Orleans, he returned to work. He died in his French Quarter home on St. Peter Street, but he saw his nemesis Garrison defeated in the 1973 election.