Hugh Anthony Cregg (November 5, 1888 – May 8, 1960) was an American lawyer and politician who served as District Attorney of Essex County, Massachusetts, from 1931 to 1959.
[1] In 1928, he chaired a special legislative investigative committee that looked into allegations made by William M. Forgrave that legislators held a "wild party" at the state house and that members of the Massachusetts Department of Public Safety improperly diverted confiscated liquor.
[6] In 1931, Cregg prosecuted Russell B. Noble, a 17-year-old from Haverhill, Massachusetts, who ended up pleading guilty to the murder of Clara E. C.
[8] In 1933, Cregg handled the high-profile prosecution of Jessie Burnett Costello, who was on trial for the murder of her husband, William J.
Joseph F. Dinneen of The Boston Daily Globe described Cregg as "the unexpected and surprising star of the trial" and having presented an argument "that might well be the envy of illustrious contemporaries".
[10][11] On January 2, 1934, C. Fred Sumner, a bill poster, was fatally shot during a robbery of the Paramount Theater in Lynn, Massachusetts.
[12] After Abraham Faber confessed to his role in the robbery and eyewitnesses changed their testimony Cregg dropped the charges against Molway and Berrett.
During the campaign, Hughes attacked Cregg for his handling of the Costello murder trial, the arrest and release of Molway and Berrett, and several other cases.
[23] In 1941, Cregg prosecuted John W. Henry, a special policeman from Salisbury, Massachusetts, for the murder of Olive Farrell.
[25] Cregg coordinated the investigation into the 1941 murder of Frances Cochran, a 19-year-old Lynn woman whose raped and beaten body was found near a "lovers lane" in Salem, Massachusetts.
[31] In 1951, Cregg's office indicted Dr. Harry Carver Clarke of Marblehead, Massachusetts, for allegedly selling 72 babies to wealthy families.
[32] Clarke died before his case went to trial and Cregg discontinued prosecution of his co-conspirator, Marcus Siegel, after he was convicted in New York.