22 Dec 1918 in Helena, Lewis and Clark County, Montana, the only child born to Clare Elizabeth King and August Peter Zoeller was a son named Thomas Harold Zoeller.
Montana, Birth Records, 1897-1919
Name:Thomas Harold Zoeller
Gender:Male
Race:White
Birth Date:22 Dec 1918
Birth Place:1320 Madison Ave Helena, White, Montana
Certificate Number:117 897
Father:August Peter Zoeller
Mother:Clara Elizabeth Zoeller
27 Apr 1942 U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
NAME:------------------------ Thomas Harold Zoeller
ADDRESS:------------------- Helena, Lewis and Clark, Montana
AGE:--------------------------- 21
DATE OF BIRTH:------------ 22 Dec 1918
PLACE:------------------------ Helena, Montana
NAME OF PERSON WHO-
always know where you live- Clara Zoeller
EMPLOYER:------------------ Georgetown University Law/School Student
REGISTRAR'S REPORT
HEIGHT: 6' 1" WEIGHT:230 EYES:Blue HAIR:Brown
COMPLEXTION:Ruddy
20 Dec 1972 The Montana Standard Newspaper
FBI AGENT THOMAS ZOELLER RETIRES
Thomas H. Zoeller ended a 25-year career g special agent for the FBI Tuesday. A native of Helena, he retires from the service at 54.
Robert W. Evans, chief special agent in charge of the Montana-Idaho Division with headquarters in Butte, extended his congratulations and best wishes on Zoeller's final day on duty.
"It is an honor for me to have been associated with Tom Zoeller, both now and when I was in Butte from 1963 to 1966," Evans said. "
"He has been a member of the division's supervisory staff for many years and has helped numerous young agents in Butte and Idaho. He has been one of the bureau's outstanding police instructors in training programs, not only at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy in Bozeman and the Idaho academy in Pocatello, but also for our good neighbors in Canada.
"During his career he has received a large number of commendations and incentive awards under both the late -director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, and the present acting director, L. Patrick Gray HI. Mr. Zoeller has made many important contributions to the service."
ZOELLER GRADUATED from Gorizaga University in May 1940 with a bachelor of philosophy degree and attended Georgetown University Law School in Washington, D. C., both beforehand after military service.
He was with the Army Air Force in, the South Pacific two years. He joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation Feb. 3, 1947. After training at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va., he was assigned to the bureau in Memphis, Tenn., that April. He was at various Tennessee stations until transfer to New York City in December 1947. He came to Butte in July 1951 as a member of the headquarters staff.
It was during his New York assignment that he and other agents, together with police investigators, figured in the espionage prosecution of Judith Coplon and Valentine Gubitchev in 1950, a trial in which Zoeller subsequently testified.
Miss Coplon, then 28, a former political analyst for the Department of Justice in Washington, and Gubitchev, 33, Russian engineer employed at the United Nations, were found guilty in New York of espionage and sentenced to 15 years. Gubitchev's sentence was suspended when he promised to leave the country! Miss Coplon also had been sentenced to 40 months to 10 years after a Washington trial for stealing secret documents. The New York convictions.
were reversed on appeal but the indictment stood. An Appellate Court upheld the Washington conviction but ruled the matter should be retried because illegal wiretap evidence, had been used. Then the woman won the right to a new, trial when the Supreme Court refused to review decisions on three appeals, from lower courts.
ZOELLER ALSO had a part in the Harry Gold affair in which the defendant was linked to Julius Rosenberg, his wife Ethel and Morton Sobell, all convicted of conspiracy to commit wartime sabotage. The Rosenbergs were sentenced to death and Sobell to 30 years, while David Greenglass; a brother of Mrs. Rosenberg and a state witness, got 15 years.
One of the most complex cases in Zoeller's Butte experience, from a standpoint of numbers of witnesses and exhibits, was the three-week trial in 1958 of John Cyril Hellman, indicted for alleged violation of the Smith Act, dealing with persons advocating the overthrow of the U. S. Government. Hellman's conviction afterward was overturned by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, San Francisco, although it had been stipulated by both sides that the defendant had been a Community Party organizer.
Zoeller recalls also a pair of other more exciting incidents. In 1963, federal men and local officers tracked two California fugitives to their log cabin hideout on the Yaak River in northwestern Montana, where heavy equipment and officer disguises came into play to recapture the men. The fugitives had a large arsenal, but they were taken without a gunfight.
In October 1965, Zoeller participated in perhaps Idaho's greatest manhunt when a fugitive fired on officers' positions in the timber and he himself was killed by the gun of FBI agent Joe Servely
Zoeller and his wife Anne live at 2744 Edwards. They have a married daughter in Tennessee and a son attending Eastern Montana College in Billings. Zoeller, who was president of the Butte Exchange Club from July 1968 for a year, intends to remain in Butte but presently has no plans for business or other activity, beyond, some travel.
08 Sep 1994 in Butte, Silver Bow County, Montana, Thomas Harold Zoeller's beloved wife of 54 years, Anne Lorraine (Blain) Zoeller, passed away.
26 Apr 2017 in Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado, at the age of 96, Thomas Harold Zoeller, passed away.
05 May 2017 The Montana Standard Newspaper
Thomas Zoeller
Thomas Zoeller,98, of Butte, died in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on April 26,2017.
Tom became a Special Agent of the F B I in Washington, D.C. in 1947. He served in the Memphis, Tenn., and New York City divisions and was assigned to the Butte Division (Montana and Idaho) in 1951. Tom retired from the FBI in 1973. He then handled investigations for various law firms in the Butte area for several years. Prior to FBI service, he was employed by the General Accountability Office in Washington, D. C. During World War II, Tom served in the Army Signal Corps in Florida and on Saipan in the mid-Pacific. He was then discharged when WWII ended in 1945. Tom relished life. He was a Past President of the Butte Exchange Club, a life member of the Montana Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association and the Butte Elks #240. Tom was also a member of the Society of Former Agents of the FBI and Holy Spirit Catholic Church. He was also proud to be a member of the One Gallus Fox Hunters Association of Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Born December 22, 1918, in Helena, Montana, the only son of August and Clare Zoeller, Tom graduated from Gonzaga University in 1940. On December 10, 1940, he married Anne Blain, a Helena native. They were married in Washington, D.C. Anne died in September, 1994. Tom then married Doris Nottingham of Butte in March, 1996. Doris died in October 2005 and Tom remained single until his recent death. Tom had moved to Colorado Springs, Colo., in 2015 to be closer to his daughter, Pamela. He lived at Palisades at Broadmoor Park until his death on April 26th. He made many friends while living at the Palisades and played bridge and bingo every week. He was happy to enjoy Sunday suppers with his daughter and son- in-law, as well as many breakfasts and brunches in Colorado Springs. Tom's heart remained in Montana, though, and he spoke fondly of his friends and neighbors in Butte throughout his 2 years as a resident of Colorado Springs.
Survivors include his daughter, Pamela Zoeller Cadogan (Bob Cadogan) of Colorado Springs, Colo.; his grandchildren, Blain Howard (Jacqueline) of Seattle, WA; Thomas Zoeller, Jr, of Honolulu, Hawaii and Heather Kilcoyne (Jamie) of Superior, Colo. Tom also had several stepchildren: Tom and Terry Bray, Three Forks, MT; Cheryl and Lee Nelissen, Butte, MT; Bud and Robin Bray, Spokane, WA.
A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at Holy Spirit Church in Butte on Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at 11 a.m. A reception will follow. Memorials are suggested to Pikes Peak Hospice, 2550 Tenderfoot Hill St, Colorado Springs, CO 80906.
Montana, Birth Records, 1897-1919
Name:Thomas Harold Zoeller
Gender:Male
Race:White
Birth Date:22 Dec 1918
Birth Place:1320 Madison Ave Helena, White, Montana
Certificate Number:117 897
Father:August Peter Zoeller
Mother:Clara Elizabeth Zoeller
27 Apr 1942 U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
NAME:------------------------ Thomas Harold Zoeller
ADDRESS:------------------- Helena, Lewis and Clark, Montana
AGE:--------------------------- 21
DATE OF BIRTH:------------ 22 Dec 1918
PLACE:------------------------ Helena, Montana
NAME OF PERSON WHO-
always know where you live- Clara Zoeller
EMPLOYER:------------------ Georgetown University Law/School Student
REGISTRAR'S REPORT
HEIGHT: 6' 1" WEIGHT:230 EYES:Blue HAIR:Brown
COMPLEXTION:Ruddy
20 Dec 1972 The Montana Standard Newspaper
FBI AGENT THOMAS ZOELLER RETIRES
Thomas H. Zoeller ended a 25-year career g special agent for the FBI Tuesday. A native of Helena, he retires from the service at 54.
Robert W. Evans, chief special agent in charge of the Montana-Idaho Division with headquarters in Butte, extended his congratulations and best wishes on Zoeller's final day on duty.
"It is an honor for me to have been associated with Tom Zoeller, both now and when I was in Butte from 1963 to 1966," Evans said. "
"He has been a member of the division's supervisory staff for many years and has helped numerous young agents in Butte and Idaho. He has been one of the bureau's outstanding police instructors in training programs, not only at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy in Bozeman and the Idaho academy in Pocatello, but also for our good neighbors in Canada.
"During his career he has received a large number of commendations and incentive awards under both the late -director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, and the present acting director, L. Patrick Gray HI. Mr. Zoeller has made many important contributions to the service."
ZOELLER GRADUATED from Gorizaga University in May 1940 with a bachelor of philosophy degree and attended Georgetown University Law School in Washington, D. C., both beforehand after military service.
He was with the Army Air Force in, the South Pacific two years. He joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation Feb. 3, 1947. After training at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va., he was assigned to the bureau in Memphis, Tenn., that April. He was at various Tennessee stations until transfer to New York City in December 1947. He came to Butte in July 1951 as a member of the headquarters staff.
It was during his New York assignment that he and other agents, together with police investigators, figured in the espionage prosecution of Judith Coplon and Valentine Gubitchev in 1950, a trial in which Zoeller subsequently testified.
Miss Coplon, then 28, a former political analyst for the Department of Justice in Washington, and Gubitchev, 33, Russian engineer employed at the United Nations, were found guilty in New York of espionage and sentenced to 15 years. Gubitchev's sentence was suspended when he promised to leave the country! Miss Coplon also had been sentenced to 40 months to 10 years after a Washington trial for stealing secret documents. The New York convictions.
were reversed on appeal but the indictment stood. An Appellate Court upheld the Washington conviction but ruled the matter should be retried because illegal wiretap evidence, had been used. Then the woman won the right to a new, trial when the Supreme Court refused to review decisions on three appeals, from lower courts.
ZOELLER ALSO had a part in the Harry Gold affair in which the defendant was linked to Julius Rosenberg, his wife Ethel and Morton Sobell, all convicted of conspiracy to commit wartime sabotage. The Rosenbergs were sentenced to death and Sobell to 30 years, while David Greenglass; a brother of Mrs. Rosenberg and a state witness, got 15 years.
One of the most complex cases in Zoeller's Butte experience, from a standpoint of numbers of witnesses and exhibits, was the three-week trial in 1958 of John Cyril Hellman, indicted for alleged violation of the Smith Act, dealing with persons advocating the overthrow of the U. S. Government. Hellman's conviction afterward was overturned by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, San Francisco, although it had been stipulated by both sides that the defendant had been a Community Party organizer.
Zoeller recalls also a pair of other more exciting incidents. In 1963, federal men and local officers tracked two California fugitives to their log cabin hideout on the Yaak River in northwestern Montana, where heavy equipment and officer disguises came into play to recapture the men. The fugitives had a large arsenal, but they were taken without a gunfight.
In October 1965, Zoeller participated in perhaps Idaho's greatest manhunt when a fugitive fired on officers' positions in the timber and he himself was killed by the gun of FBI agent Joe Servely
Zoeller and his wife Anne live at 2744 Edwards. They have a married daughter in Tennessee and a son attending Eastern Montana College in Billings. Zoeller, who was president of the Butte Exchange Club from July 1968 for a year, intends to remain in Butte but presently has no plans for business or other activity, beyond, some travel.
08 Sep 1994 in Butte, Silver Bow County, Montana, Thomas Harold Zoeller's beloved wife of 54 years, Anne Lorraine (Blain) Zoeller, passed away.
26 Apr 2017 in Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado, at the age of 96, Thomas Harold Zoeller, passed away.
05 May 2017 The Montana Standard Newspaper
Thomas Zoeller
Thomas Zoeller,98, of Butte, died in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on April 26,2017.
Tom became a Special Agent of the F B I in Washington, D.C. in 1947. He served in the Memphis, Tenn., and New York City divisions and was assigned to the Butte Division (Montana and Idaho) in 1951. Tom retired from the FBI in 1973. He then handled investigations for various law firms in the Butte area for several years. Prior to FBI service, he was employed by the General Accountability Office in Washington, D. C. During World War II, Tom served in the Army Signal Corps in Florida and on Saipan in the mid-Pacific. He was then discharged when WWII ended in 1945. Tom relished life. He was a Past President of the Butte Exchange Club, a life member of the Montana Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association and the Butte Elks #240. Tom was also a member of the Society of Former Agents of the FBI and Holy Spirit Catholic Church. He was also proud to be a member of the One Gallus Fox Hunters Association of Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Born December 22, 1918, in Helena, Montana, the only son of August and Clare Zoeller, Tom graduated from Gonzaga University in 1940. On December 10, 1940, he married Anne Blain, a Helena native. They were married in Washington, D.C. Anne died in September, 1994. Tom then married Doris Nottingham of Butte in March, 1996. Doris died in October 2005 and Tom remained single until his recent death. Tom had moved to Colorado Springs, Colo., in 2015 to be closer to his daughter, Pamela. He lived at Palisades at Broadmoor Park until his death on April 26th. He made many friends while living at the Palisades and played bridge and bingo every week. He was happy to enjoy Sunday suppers with his daughter and son- in-law, as well as many breakfasts and brunches in Colorado Springs. Tom's heart remained in Montana, though, and he spoke fondly of his friends and neighbors in Butte throughout his 2 years as a resident of Colorado Springs.
Survivors include his daughter, Pamela Zoeller Cadogan (Bob Cadogan) of Colorado Springs, Colo.; his grandchildren, Blain Howard (Jacqueline) of Seattle, WA; Thomas Zoeller, Jr, of Honolulu, Hawaii and Heather Kilcoyne (Jamie) of Superior, Colo. Tom also had several stepchildren: Tom and Terry Bray, Three Forks, MT; Cheryl and Lee Nelissen, Butte, MT; Bud and Robin Bray, Spokane, WA.
A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at Holy Spirit Church in Butte on Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at 11 a.m. A reception will follow. Memorials are suggested to Pikes Peak Hospice, 2550 Tenderfoot Hill St, Colorado Springs, CO 80906.
22 Dec 1918 in Helena, Lewis and Clark County, Montana, the only child born to Clare Elizabeth King and August Peter Zoeller was a son named Thomas Harold Zoeller.
Montana, Birth Records, 1897-1919
Name:Thomas Harold Zoeller
Gender:Male
Race:White
Birth Date:22 Dec 1918
Birth Place:1320 Madison Ave Helena, White, Montana
Certificate Number:117 897
Father:August Peter Zoeller
Mother:Clara Elizabeth Zoeller
27 Apr 1942 U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
NAME:------------------------ Thomas Harold Zoeller
ADDRESS:------------------- Helena, Lewis and Clark, Montana
AGE:--------------------------- 21
DATE OF BIRTH:------------ 22 Dec 1918
PLACE:------------------------ Helena, Montana
NAME OF PERSON WHO-
always know where you live- Clara Zoeller
EMPLOYER:------------------ Georgetown University Law/School Student
REGISTRAR'S REPORT
HEIGHT: 6' 1" WEIGHT:230 EYES:Blue HAIR:Brown
COMPLEXTION:Ruddy
20 Dec 1972 The Montana Standard Newspaper
FBI AGENT THOMAS ZOELLER RETIRES
Thomas H. Zoeller ended a 25-year career g special agent for the FBI Tuesday. A native of Helena, he retires from the service at 54.
Robert W. Evans, chief special agent in charge of the Montana-Idaho Division with headquarters in Butte, extended his congratulations and best wishes on Zoeller's final day on duty.
"It is an honor for me to have been associated with Tom Zoeller, both now and when I was in Butte from 1963 to 1966," Evans said. "
"He has been a member of the division's supervisory staff for many years and has helped numerous young agents in Butte and Idaho. He has been one of the bureau's outstanding police instructors in training programs, not only at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy in Bozeman and the Idaho academy in Pocatello, but also for our good neighbors in Canada.
"During his career he has received a large number of commendations and incentive awards under both the late -director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, and the present acting director, L. Patrick Gray HI. Mr. Zoeller has made many important contributions to the service."
ZOELLER GRADUATED from Gorizaga University in May 1940 with a bachelor of philosophy degree and attended Georgetown University Law School in Washington, D. C., both beforehand after military service.
He was with the Army Air Force in, the South Pacific two years. He joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation Feb. 3, 1947. After training at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va., he was assigned to the bureau in Memphis, Tenn., that April. He was at various Tennessee stations until transfer to New York City in December 1947. He came to Butte in July 1951 as a member of the headquarters staff.
It was during his New York assignment that he and other agents, together with police investigators, figured in the espionage prosecution of Judith Coplon and Valentine Gubitchev in 1950, a trial in which Zoeller subsequently testified.
Miss Coplon, then 28, a former political analyst for the Department of Justice in Washington, and Gubitchev, 33, Russian engineer employed at the United Nations, were found guilty in New York of espionage and sentenced to 15 years. Gubitchev's sentence was suspended when he promised to leave the country! Miss Coplon also had been sentenced to 40 months to 10 years after a Washington trial for stealing secret documents. The New York convictions.
were reversed on appeal but the indictment stood. An Appellate Court upheld the Washington conviction but ruled the matter should be retried because illegal wiretap evidence, had been used. Then the woman won the right to a new, trial when the Supreme Court refused to review decisions on three appeals, from lower courts.
ZOELLER ALSO had a part in the Harry Gold affair in which the defendant was linked to Julius Rosenberg, his wife Ethel and Morton Sobell, all convicted of conspiracy to commit wartime sabotage. The Rosenbergs were sentenced to death and Sobell to 30 years, while David Greenglass; a brother of Mrs. Rosenberg and a state witness, got 15 years.
One of the most complex cases in Zoeller's Butte experience, from a standpoint of numbers of witnesses and exhibits, was the three-week trial in 1958 of John Cyril Hellman, indicted for alleged violation of the Smith Act, dealing with persons advocating the overthrow of the U. S. Government. Hellman's conviction afterward was overturned by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, San Francisco, although it had been stipulated by both sides that the defendant had been a Community Party organizer.
Zoeller recalls also a pair of other more exciting incidents. In 1963, federal men and local officers tracked two California fugitives to their log cabin hideout on the Yaak River in northwestern Montana, where heavy equipment and officer disguises came into play to recapture the men. The fugitives had a large arsenal, but they were taken without a gunfight.
In October 1965, Zoeller participated in perhaps Idaho's greatest manhunt when a fugitive fired on officers' positions in the timber and he himself was killed by the gun of FBI agent Joe Servely
Zoeller and his wife Anne live at 2744 Edwards. They have a married daughter in Tennessee and a son attending Eastern Montana College in Billings. Zoeller, who was president of the Butte Exchange Club from July 1968 for a year, intends to remain in Butte but presently has no plans for business or other activity, beyond, some travel.
08 Sep 1994 in Butte, Silver Bow County, Montana, Thomas Harold Zoeller's beloved wife of 54 years, Anne Lorraine (Blain) Zoeller, passed away.
26 Apr 2017 in Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado, at the age of 96, Thomas Harold Zoeller, passed away.
05 May 2017 The Montana Standard Newspaper
Thomas Zoeller
Thomas Zoeller,98, of Butte, died in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on April 26,2017.
Tom became a Special Agent of the F B I in Washington, D.C. in 1947. He served in the Memphis, Tenn., and New York City divisions and was assigned to the Butte Division (Montana and Idaho) in 1951. Tom retired from the FBI in 1973. He then handled investigations for various law firms in the Butte area for several years. Prior to FBI service, he was employed by the General Accountability Office in Washington, D. C. During World War II, Tom served in the Army Signal Corps in Florida and on Saipan in the mid-Pacific. He was then discharged when WWII ended in 1945. Tom relished life. He was a Past President of the Butte Exchange Club, a life member of the Montana Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association and the Butte Elks #240. Tom was also a member of the Society of Former Agents of the FBI and Holy Spirit Catholic Church. He was also proud to be a member of the One Gallus Fox Hunters Association of Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Born December 22, 1918, in Helena, Montana, the only son of August and Clare Zoeller, Tom graduated from Gonzaga University in 1940. On December 10, 1940, he married Anne Blain, a Helena native. They were married in Washington, D.C. Anne died in September, 1994. Tom then married Doris Nottingham of Butte in March, 1996. Doris died in October 2005 and Tom remained single until his recent death. Tom had moved to Colorado Springs, Colo., in 2015 to be closer to his daughter, Pamela. He lived at Palisades at Broadmoor Park until his death on April 26th. He made many friends while living at the Palisades and played bridge and bingo every week. He was happy to enjoy Sunday suppers with his daughter and son- in-law, as well as many breakfasts and brunches in Colorado Springs. Tom's heart remained in Montana, though, and he spoke fondly of his friends and neighbors in Butte throughout his 2 years as a resident of Colorado Springs.
Survivors include his daughter, Pamela Zoeller Cadogan (Bob Cadogan) of Colorado Springs, Colo.; his grandchildren, Blain Howard (Jacqueline) of Seattle, WA; Thomas Zoeller, Jr, of Honolulu, Hawaii and Heather Kilcoyne (Jamie) of Superior, Colo. Tom also had several stepchildren: Tom and Terry Bray, Three Forks, MT; Cheryl and Lee Nelissen, Butte, MT; Bud and Robin Bray, Spokane, WA.
A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at Holy Spirit Church in Butte on Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at 11 a.m. A reception will follow. Memorials are suggested to Pikes Peak Hospice, 2550 Tenderfoot Hill St, Colorado Springs, CO 80906.
Montana, Birth Records, 1897-1919
Name:Thomas Harold Zoeller
Gender:Male
Race:White
Birth Date:22 Dec 1918
Birth Place:1320 Madison Ave Helena, White, Montana
Certificate Number:117 897
Father:August Peter Zoeller
Mother:Clara Elizabeth Zoeller
27 Apr 1942 U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
NAME:------------------------ Thomas Harold Zoeller
ADDRESS:------------------- Helena, Lewis and Clark, Montana
AGE:--------------------------- 21
DATE OF BIRTH:------------ 22 Dec 1918
PLACE:------------------------ Helena, Montana
NAME OF PERSON WHO-
always know where you live- Clara Zoeller
EMPLOYER:------------------ Georgetown University Law/School Student
REGISTRAR'S REPORT
HEIGHT: 6' 1" WEIGHT:230 EYES:Blue HAIR:Brown
COMPLEXTION:Ruddy
20 Dec 1972 The Montana Standard Newspaper
FBI AGENT THOMAS ZOELLER RETIRES
Thomas H. Zoeller ended a 25-year career g special agent for the FBI Tuesday. A native of Helena, he retires from the service at 54.
Robert W. Evans, chief special agent in charge of the Montana-Idaho Division with headquarters in Butte, extended his congratulations and best wishes on Zoeller's final day on duty.
"It is an honor for me to have been associated with Tom Zoeller, both now and when I was in Butte from 1963 to 1966," Evans said. "
"He has been a member of the division's supervisory staff for many years and has helped numerous young agents in Butte and Idaho. He has been one of the bureau's outstanding police instructors in training programs, not only at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy in Bozeman and the Idaho academy in Pocatello, but also for our good neighbors in Canada.
"During his career he has received a large number of commendations and incentive awards under both the late -director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, and the present acting director, L. Patrick Gray HI. Mr. Zoeller has made many important contributions to the service."
ZOELLER GRADUATED from Gorizaga University in May 1940 with a bachelor of philosophy degree and attended Georgetown University Law School in Washington, D. C., both beforehand after military service.
He was with the Army Air Force in, the South Pacific two years. He joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation Feb. 3, 1947. After training at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va., he was assigned to the bureau in Memphis, Tenn., that April. He was at various Tennessee stations until transfer to New York City in December 1947. He came to Butte in July 1951 as a member of the headquarters staff.
It was during his New York assignment that he and other agents, together with police investigators, figured in the espionage prosecution of Judith Coplon and Valentine Gubitchev in 1950, a trial in which Zoeller subsequently testified.
Miss Coplon, then 28, a former political analyst for the Department of Justice in Washington, and Gubitchev, 33, Russian engineer employed at the United Nations, were found guilty in New York of espionage and sentenced to 15 years. Gubitchev's sentence was suspended when he promised to leave the country! Miss Coplon also had been sentenced to 40 months to 10 years after a Washington trial for stealing secret documents. The New York convictions.
were reversed on appeal but the indictment stood. An Appellate Court upheld the Washington conviction but ruled the matter should be retried because illegal wiretap evidence, had been used. Then the woman won the right to a new, trial when the Supreme Court refused to review decisions on three appeals, from lower courts.
ZOELLER ALSO had a part in the Harry Gold affair in which the defendant was linked to Julius Rosenberg, his wife Ethel and Morton Sobell, all convicted of conspiracy to commit wartime sabotage. The Rosenbergs were sentenced to death and Sobell to 30 years, while David Greenglass; a brother of Mrs. Rosenberg and a state witness, got 15 years.
One of the most complex cases in Zoeller's Butte experience, from a standpoint of numbers of witnesses and exhibits, was the three-week trial in 1958 of John Cyril Hellman, indicted for alleged violation of the Smith Act, dealing with persons advocating the overthrow of the U. S. Government. Hellman's conviction afterward was overturned by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, San Francisco, although it had been stipulated by both sides that the defendant had been a Community Party organizer.
Zoeller recalls also a pair of other more exciting incidents. In 1963, federal men and local officers tracked two California fugitives to their log cabin hideout on the Yaak River in northwestern Montana, where heavy equipment and officer disguises came into play to recapture the men. The fugitives had a large arsenal, but they were taken without a gunfight.
In October 1965, Zoeller participated in perhaps Idaho's greatest manhunt when a fugitive fired on officers' positions in the timber and he himself was killed by the gun of FBI agent Joe Servely
Zoeller and his wife Anne live at 2744 Edwards. They have a married daughter in Tennessee and a son attending Eastern Montana College in Billings. Zoeller, who was president of the Butte Exchange Club from July 1968 for a year, intends to remain in Butte but presently has no plans for business or other activity, beyond, some travel.
08 Sep 1994 in Butte, Silver Bow County, Montana, Thomas Harold Zoeller's beloved wife of 54 years, Anne Lorraine (Blain) Zoeller, passed away.
26 Apr 2017 in Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado, at the age of 96, Thomas Harold Zoeller, passed away.
05 May 2017 The Montana Standard Newspaper
Thomas Zoeller
Thomas Zoeller,98, of Butte, died in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on April 26,2017.
Tom became a Special Agent of the F B I in Washington, D.C. in 1947. He served in the Memphis, Tenn., and New York City divisions and was assigned to the Butte Division (Montana and Idaho) in 1951. Tom retired from the FBI in 1973. He then handled investigations for various law firms in the Butte area for several years. Prior to FBI service, he was employed by the General Accountability Office in Washington, D. C. During World War II, Tom served in the Army Signal Corps in Florida and on Saipan in the mid-Pacific. He was then discharged when WWII ended in 1945. Tom relished life. He was a Past President of the Butte Exchange Club, a life member of the Montana Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association and the Butte Elks #240. Tom was also a member of the Society of Former Agents of the FBI and Holy Spirit Catholic Church. He was also proud to be a member of the One Gallus Fox Hunters Association of Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Born December 22, 1918, in Helena, Montana, the only son of August and Clare Zoeller, Tom graduated from Gonzaga University in 1940. On December 10, 1940, he married Anne Blain, a Helena native. They were married in Washington, D.C. Anne died in September, 1994. Tom then married Doris Nottingham of Butte in March, 1996. Doris died in October 2005 and Tom remained single until his recent death. Tom had moved to Colorado Springs, Colo., in 2015 to be closer to his daughter, Pamela. He lived at Palisades at Broadmoor Park until his death on April 26th. He made many friends while living at the Palisades and played bridge and bingo every week. He was happy to enjoy Sunday suppers with his daughter and son- in-law, as well as many breakfasts and brunches in Colorado Springs. Tom's heart remained in Montana, though, and he spoke fondly of his friends and neighbors in Butte throughout his 2 years as a resident of Colorado Springs.
Survivors include his daughter, Pamela Zoeller Cadogan (Bob Cadogan) of Colorado Springs, Colo.; his grandchildren, Blain Howard (Jacqueline) of Seattle, WA; Thomas Zoeller, Jr, of Honolulu, Hawaii and Heather Kilcoyne (Jamie) of Superior, Colo. Tom also had several stepchildren: Tom and Terry Bray, Three Forks, MT; Cheryl and Lee Nelissen, Butte, MT; Bud and Robin Bray, Spokane, WA.
A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at Holy Spirit Church in Butte on Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at 11 a.m. A reception will follow. Memorials are suggested to Pikes Peak Hospice, 2550 Tenderfoot Hill St, Colorado Springs, CO 80906.
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