James Howard McGrath served as U.S. attorney general from 1949 to 1952 under President Harry S. Truman. McGrath, a former Rhode Island governor and U.S. senator, also served as U.S. solicitor general. Despite these many accomplishments, McGrath was forced to resign as attorney general after he refused to cooperate in a corruption investigation involving high-ranking Department of Justice officials.

McGrath was born on November 28, 1903 in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. He graduated from Providence College in 1926 and then attended Boston University Law School, graduating in 1929. During law school McGrath became a prominent member of the Rhode Island Democratic Party, serving as vice chairman of the party's state committee in 1928 and chairman in 1930. These political connections led to his appointment as solicitor for Central Falls, Rhode Island. In 1934 he was appointed U.S. district attorney for Rhode Island.

During the 1930s, McGrath became a national Democratic leader. In 1940 he was...