WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- A former general counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency, Anthony Abbot Lapham, has died of a heart attack while fishing near Asheville, N.C.
Lapham, 70, was the third general counsel in the spy agency's history and the first to be brought in from the outside, The Washington Post reported.
He was chosen to serve in 1976 by CIA Director George H.W. Bush and remained at the CIA under Adm. Stansfield Turner until 1979.
Shortly after leaving the agency, Lapham represented former U.S. Rep. Geraldine Ferraro, D-N.Y., in a high-profile case involving her husband's business dealings.
Nicholas Lapham calls his father "unbelievably apolitical," adding "partisanship just wasn't in his nature."
A graduate of Yale, Lapham received his law degree from Georgetown University.
He was the younger brother of Lewis H. Lapham, the essayist and recently retired editor of Harper's Magazine.
In addition to his son and brother, Lapham is survived by his wife, Burk, another son, David, and two grandchildren.
