Soldier, lawmaker, judge, family man. He is now Manatee County’s distinguished citizen
Thomas Matthew Gallen, 88, made his mark as a state legislator and then later in the halls of justice in Manatee County as a circuit judge for 18 years, and as a senior judge for another 14.
Now, as recipient of the Manatee River Fair Association’s 2021 Manatee Distinguished Citizen Award, he has left his footprints in concrete to be preserved between the Historic Manatee County Courthouse and Manatee County Judicial Center in downtown Bradenton.
Gallen served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1965 to 1972, and in the Florida Senate from 1972 to 1978.
While in the Florida Legislature, he formed the I-75 Task Force, comprised of newspaper editors and Chamber of Commerce representatives from Tampa to Naples, to assist in lobbying for the badly needed interstate and was instrumental in getting it initially funded, according to his distinguished citizen nomination.
Gallen sponsored and worked tirelessly to get passed a bill that created Port Manatee that now has a $3.9 billion annual economic impact. He served six years on the Florida Law Revision Council, helping to write the evidence code and rewrite the probate section of the law providing a more equitable system of justice and administering estates for residents in Manatee County and statewide.
He championed legislation supporting the Tampa Sports Authority and worked successfully to break up the infamous “Pork Chop Gang,” a segregationist minded group of legislators. His service on the Manatee County Rural Health Services Board of Directors helped to insure that many indigent local citizens receive good health care.
While serving as chief judge of the 12th Judicial Circuit he worked to get the Manatee County Board of Commissioners to initiate plans to build a new judicial center. In his last 10 years on the bench, he primarily presided over foreclosure cases and was the 12th Circuit’s foreclosure expert.
Born in Tampa, he joined the U.S. Army as a paratrooper in 1952 and then became one of the first volunteers for the Green Berets, serving three years with the 10th Special Forces Group in Bad Tolz, Germany.
He attended the University of Tampa, graduated with a degree in business administration from Florida State University and a law degree from University of Florida. He is a graduate of the National Judicial College.
Gallen moved to Manatee County in 1960 after graduating from law school, and became associated with Jackson D. Miller law firm. He was a partner in the firm of Miller, Gallen, Kaklis and Venable where he practiced law until January 1984 when he was elected to be a circuit judge in the Twelfth Judicial Circuit. He served as chief judge in 1998 and as a circuit judge until his mandatory retirement in 2002. He served as a senior judge an additional 14 years.
He is married to Linda Pruitt Gallen. They have four children: Thomas, Mary, Kathleen, and Michael and five grandchildren.
He currently serves on the Manatee County Rural Health Services Board of Directors, and is a member of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church. He is a Fourth Degree member of DeSoto Council of the Knights of Columbus, Bradenton Kiwanis Club, Manatee County Bar Association (past president), Florida Bar, Phi Delta Phi international legal fraternity, American Legion, and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Gallen is a recipient of the Manatee County Bar Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the Kiwanis Club’s George F. Hixon Fellowship Award, Sertoma Club’s Service to Mankind Award, Jaycees Good Government Award and Key Man Award, Florida Medical Association’s Layman Award and Florida Prosecutors Association’s Outstanding Legislator Award.
“Tom has been a positive influence on the lives of many people in our community since moving to Manatee County as a young man in 1960. He has been active as a volunteer in many organizations and a role model for many young people he has privately counseled,” according to his award recommendation.
The Manatee County Fair is scheduled for Jan. 14-24.
This story was originally published January 13, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
