Vincent W. Gillen
From Philosopedia
Vincent W. Gillen (30 April 1910 - 5 December 1999)
Gillen, by training an attorney, graduated in 1934 with his legal degree from the Brooklyn Law School of St. Lawrence University.
He worked from the 1930s to 1955 as an FBI agent, corporate personnel officer, and college professor. In the late 1950s he purchased FIDELIFACTS, a franchise which specialized in pre-employment screening and special background checks of prospective employees. Located in the metropolitan New York and northern New Jersey areas, Gillen and his colleague, Thomas Norton, enjoyed success. In addition, Gillen in 1976 formed his own firm with Thomas Norton, which provided similar services. Norton bought out Gillen's share of that company in 1976.
In January 1966, General Motors hired Gillen to conduct an investigation of Ralph Nader, the author of Unsafe at Any Speed that accused General Motors and other automobile manufacturers of knowingly building unsafe vehicles. During the first two months of 1966, Gillen and his staff interviewed Nader's friends, colleagues, and family members. This action led to Gillen and representatives of General Motors to be called as witnesses at a congressional hearing later that year. In December 1966, Nader sued General Motors and Vincent Gillen for invasion of privacy. The case continued for four years until the final appeal decision.
Harvard's Baker Library details the scope of his papers that are stored there:
- The papers of Vincent Gillen, 1963-1991, contain news clippings, reports, legal documents, and correspondence relating to the court case between Ralph Nader and General Motors and Vincent Gillen. Added to the collection at a later date is Gillen's FBI file which he requested through the Freedom of Information Act. Few original documents remain; the bulk are photocopies or carbon copies.
- Of particular note in the collection is a transcript of Gillen's testimony before the Senate concerning investigative reports on Ralph Nader. The file "Letters from General Counsel" also contains a report of Gillen's investigative activities and minutes of his agency's Board of Directors in October 1966. Legal documents include subpoenas, summonses, briefs, affidavits, releases, and replies. Also of interest are materials on other cases handled by Gillen, reportedly compiled for his memoirs, and correspondence with reporters and publishers about coverage of the court case with Nader.
Gillen died in Amherst, Massachusetts, at the age of 89. The founder of Fidelifacts of New York, he was survived by Ann Gillen of New York; William V. Gillen of Amherst; Joyce Rossitter of Connecticut; John Gillen of New York; Mark Gillen of the Philippines; 16 grand children; and 9 great-grandchildren.
While living in a new New York City Battery Park building overlooking the Statue of Liberty, Gillen was an active member of the Secular Humanist Society of New York, allowing the group to meet in his apartment.
(See Correspondence with and from Vincent Gillen.)
{Interviews by Dennis Middlebrooks and Warren Allen Smith}
