Gerald Heaney

[1] Between the end of World War II and his appointment to the federal bench, he rewrote the Free State of Bavaria's labor laws, and was a valued political advisor and organizer for several liberal Democratic politicians, including Hubert Humphrey, Adlai Stevenson, Orville Freeman, Eugene McCarthy, and Walter Mondale.

In the first minutes of the invasion's amphibious landing, Task Force B disembarked in "Charlie" sector of Omaha Beach.

[7] In a Library of Congress oral history interview conducted by Congressman James Oberstar, Heaney recounted the first moments of the battle: "At 6:30 we arrived close to the beach.

[8] Without the London fire ladders that helped Task Force A to take Pointe du Hoc, and with most of their other climbing equipment at the bottom of the Channel, Task Force B's surviving Rangers used bayonets thrust into the cliffs as footholds, and eventually reached the crest of Pointe de la Percee.

There, control of the trenches surrounding the pillboxes switched back and forth between German and American forces for hours, further depleting the Company's ammunition and manpower.

Heaney went into a nearby village, found swatches of red, white and blue cloth, and seamstresses, and convinced them to create a 48-star United States flag in time for the ceremony.

[1] That impromptu flag returned home with Captain Heaney, and serves as a cherished feature of many patriotic events in Duluth.

Because of the Second Ranger Battalion's extraordinary service, General Omar Bradley permitted them to return home as a group.

[6] Before returning, however, Heaney assisted the new government of Bavaria in West Germany to revise its labor laws, helping to organize a free trade movement.

[2] By 1948, he soon found himself in the middle of a watershed year in the history that party, as a new generation of young liberals led by future governor Orville Freeman and Minneapolis Mayor (and United States Senate Candidate) Hubert Humphrey wrested control of the party away from supporters of third-party presidential candidate Henry Wallace, while at the same time building the foundation for a 30-year political dynasty.

[11] In Minnesota Senator Hubert Humphrey's unsuccessful run for the democratic presidential nomination in 1960, Heaney served as a campaign manager.

[15] Heaney was nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 9, 1966, to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, to a new seat authorized by 80 Stat.

Heaney, along with Johnson nominees Myron H. Bright of North Dakota and Donald P. Lay of Nebraska and Iowa, "were more likely to vote for civil liberties claims and were more willing to accept an activist judiciary (as well as more likely to publish dissents) than their predecessors.

"[2] Judges Heaney, Lay and Bright also shared a relative youthfulness at the time of appointment and a commitment to public service that led each of them to remain on the bench for many decades; the three served, collectively, over 129 years on the Eighth Circuit.

Writing for the court, Judge Heaney found the rule unconstitutional, holding that the activities were non-contact and the females displayed the ability to compete with males.

denied, 422 U.S. 1042 (1975), the Eighth Circuit became one of the first United States Courts of Appeals to decide what standards should apply to challenges under the Civil Rights Act of 1968, otherwise known as the Fair Housing Act, to zoning decisions that allegedly had a disproportionate impact on the ability of residents of segregated communities to move to desegregated communities.

Gerald and Eleanor Heaney continued to live in Duluth, where he worked to raise money for scholarships for students attending the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

[3] Free again to become involved in partisan politics, in late 2006 he volunteered at local DFL Party campaign offices, and in March 2007 endorsed John Edwards' bid for the 2008 Democratic nomination for president.

[22] The federal courthouse and customhouse in Duluth,[1][23] and residence hall at the University of Minnesota-Duluth,[2] are named in Heaney's honor.