Edward Michael McCann (born 1936) is an American attorney and politician who served as district attorney of Milwaukee County, Wis. from 1969 to 2007. A Democrat, McCann gained recognition for the length of his tenure and his successful record as a trial attorney. Early life and political career McCann was born in Chicago, Illinois, attended Milwaukee's St. Francis de Sales Preparatory School and graduated from Marquette University High School before receiving his bachelor's degree from the University of Detroit. He attended the Georgetown University Law Center and received a LLM degree from Harvard University. Following his graduation, McCann served as a prosecutor in the Milwaukee County District Attorney's office, working under district attorneys William J. McCauley and Hugh R. O'Connell and handling criminal appeals heard by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. After an unsuccessful bid for a Milwaukee County Children's Court judgeship in 1968, McCann resigned from his position as a prosecutor to challenge District Attorney David J. Cannon, a Republican who had been appointed by Governor Warren Knowles to fill a vacancy in the office. McCann defeated Milwaukee attorney Gerald P. Boyle for the Democratic nomination and unseated Cannon in the fall general election. McCann was reelected in 1970, defeating Republican Thomas Doherty, formerly Cannon's deputy district attorney. In 1976, while serving as district attorney, McCann ran for Milwaukee County Executive but was defeated by Bill O'Donnell, chairman of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors. In 1984, McCann ran in a special election for Wisconsin's 4th congressional district but was defeated in the Democratic primary by state Senator Jerry Kleczka. Tenure as district attorney McCann prosecuted numerous high-profile cases during his tenure as district attorney, with a high rate of success. In 1991, he obtained the conviction of Jeffrey Dahmer, a cannibalistic serial killer and rapist. In 1990, McCann prosecuted construction contractor S.A. Healy for reckless homicide in connection with workplace deaths in 1988. McCann also conducted a reckless homicide prosecution against Chem-Bio Corporation, a medical laboratory which had failed to detect cervical cancer in patients who later died of the disease. As a special prosecutor, McCann investigated but did not prosecute Winnebago County Coroner Michael Stelter, who was accused of negligence in conducting autopsies and reviewing deaths. A devout Catholic, McCann was criticized in 2010 for perceived inaction on Catholic Church sexual abuse cases reported to his office in the 1970s, including the case of highly prolific abuser Lawrence