It was Billy Joel who once sang “Only the Good Die Young.”
Not so.
AP reported that retired Justice Department official John C. Keeney, the longest-serving federal prosecutor in history, died on Saturday in Kensington, Md., at age 89.
In a statement posted on the Justice Department website on Monday, Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. remarked:
“For the last six decades, Jack Keeney served the Department of Justice with dedication, integrity and an unshakeable commitment to the rule of law. As the longest-serving federal prosecutor in the history of the United States, the contributions that he made – to the Justice Department and to the nation he was so proud to serve – are beyond measure. And I am one of many who have been grateful to count him as a mentor, advisor and friend.
“Although Mr. Keeney will be sorely missed, his legacy will live on – in the Justice Department building that bears his name, in the standard of excellence that he established in the department’s Criminal Division, in the work of countless attorneys that he mentored throughout his career, and in the inspiration that he will continue to provide public servants across our nation.”
