Foley graduated from Saint Felix High School in Wabasha in 1965 and went on to the University of Minnesota where he earned his B. A. in 1969 and his law degree in 1972.
From 1973 to 1976 Foley served as an Assistant Minnesota Attorney General with responsibility in the area of anti-trust, as legal counsel to the Department of Corrections and later as a criminal prosecutor. During this time Foley prosecuted five murder cases involving inmates in correction institutions.
In 1976 Foley was named a Deputy Commissioner of Corrections for the State of Minnesota. In this capacity he had direct responsibility for support services which included supervision of a one hundred million dollar budget and 1600 employees.
It was in 1978, at the young age of 29 , that Foley was elected Ramsey County Attorney, a position he has been re-elected to three times.
As Ramsey County Attorney, Foley has overseen the prosecution and investigation of many high profile criminal cases. Among the cases that have had national recognition is the successful prosecution of Lois Jurgens for the child abuse murder of her three year old son, Dennis. The Jurgens case was taken to trial almost twenty-five years after the incident took place. Recently Foley has been most identified as the prosecutor of the so called "phonegate" scandal at the Minnesota Legislature.
Foley is widely know for his work in the area of First Amendment law, having argued the famous cross-burning case R.A.V v. St Paul before the United States Supreme Court.
During his four terms as county attorney, Foley has built a national reputation for his attention to victim's rights, and for being one of the first prosecutors in the country to create a child sex abuse prosecution unit.
Recently Foley has led the charge in Minnesota and nationally to get prosecutors to target career criminals and ensure that the criminal justice system's most severe consequences are applied to those criminals who commit the most serious crimes.
In 1989 Foley was appointed by Governor Perpich to serve on a statewide task force that studied the impact of illegal drugs in Minnesota. He also served on the Attorney General's Task Force on Prevention of Violence Against Women. In part through Foley's advocacy for increased sentencing options for drug and sex crimes, these task forces were successful in persuading the Minnesota Legislature to significantly increase sentences for these offenses.
As a citizen, Tom Foley has donated his time and attention to many civic causes. Currently he serves on the Board of Directors of the Mixed Blood Theatre, is active in the Minnesota Lawyers International Human Rights Committee and is a volunteer for the Boy Scouts of America.
Foley has also served on the Board of the Salvation Army, the National District Attorney's Association and was a member of the Metropolitan Council's advisory committee.
Politically, Foley was instrumental in organizing the Minnesota Democratic Leadership Council (an educational/ideas group of moderate Democrats) and was the local organization's founding president.
In 1992 Foley was an early supporter of Bill Clinton and served as a Chair of the Clinton/Gore Campaign in Minnesota.
There is a long history of public service in the Foley family including Tom's father Daniel F. Foley, who was National Commander of the American Legion in 1963 and later served as a district court judge and is currently retired from the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Foley's uncle, Patrick J. Foley, was U.S. Attorney for Minnesota under President Lyndon Johnson and another uncle, Eugene, was director of the Small Business Administration under President John F. Kennedy and an Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development under President Lyndon Johnson. A third uncle, John R. Foley, was elected to Congress from Maryland 1958-60.
Foley's brother, Dr. Daniel D. Foley, is a past Chair of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and continues to serve as a board member.
Foley who lives in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul, enjoys fishing, camping, golfing and skiing with his sons Jordan, 15, and Mitchell, 13.
Prepared by the Tom Foley for U.S. Senate Committee, 201 East Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55414 Telephone/Fax: (612)331-2380/331-2587