Patrick Fitzgerald

AGE: 51
OCCUPATION: U.S. attorney,
Northern District of Illinois

This son of a New York City doorman may seem an unlikely choice for No. 2. But when you can make the biggest names in state and local government quake, strike fear in the hearts of the Mob and street gangs alike, clap two governors behind bars, and drop the hammer on the top aides to a mayor with the clout of Richard M. Daley, you are not one to be trifled with. A political outsider—an advantage in this role—Fitzgerald controls something more precious than money. He has the ability to put away the powerful for a long, long time.

MORE ON FITZGERALD: Our July 2002 profile

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Photograph: Chuck Berman/Chicago Tribune