Darrell McGraw | |
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33rd Attorney General of West Virginia | |
In office January 18, 1993 – January 14, 2013 |
|
Governor |
Gaston Caperton Cecil H. Underwood Bob Wise Joe Manchin Earl Ray Tomblin |
Preceded by | Mario Palumbo |
Succeeded by | Patrick Morrisey |
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia | |
In office 1984–1988 |
|
Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia | |
In office January 1, 1976 – December 31, 1988 |
|
Preceded by | Donald R. Wilson |
Succeeded by | Margaret Workman |
Personal details | |
Born |
McGraws-Tipple, West Virginia |
November 8, 1936
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Jorea Marple |
Children | 4 |
Residence | Charleston, West Virginia |
Alma mater | West Virginia University |
Profession | Lawyer |
Darrell Vivian McGraw, Jr. (born November 8, 1936 in McGraws-Tipple, Wyoming County, West Virginia) is an American Democratic politician. He is the brother of former West Virginia State Supreme Court Justice and state Senate President Warren McGraw.
He was elected the state supreme court for a single 12 year term in 1976. He was elected state attorney general in 1992 and re-elected in 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008. He is the only person to have held both offices. He lost his re-election bid for a sixth term in 2012. He received 49% of the vote to Patrick Morrisey's 51%. He filed on January 30, 2016 as a candidate seeking election to the West Virginia state supreme court in 2016, but was defeated.
McGraw graduated from Pineville High School and served two years in the United States Army, stationed in Germany, before beginning his undergraduate career at West Virginia University, where he served as student body president and dedicated the mast of the U.S.S. West Virginia, which still stands as a landmark at the university.
After earning his Juris Doctor at West Virginia University, he began working under Governor Hulett Smith.
Prior to acting in an official capacity within West Virginian politics, McGraw took a behind the scenes role, serving as counsel to Hulett C. Smith, Governor from 1965 to 1969, and the West Virginia Legislature. For twelve years starting in 1976, he was a state Supreme Court Justice. During his tenure, McGraw upheld the state Freedom of Information Act, ordering that any exemptions that were to be granted related to this legislation were to be extremely limited. In 1980 he officiated at the wedding of Larry Shannon Roberts, a former WCHS weatherman, and Diana Rhodes Lovejoy, a former WV State Tax Dept employee. The wedding was held in the State Capitol Rotunda, the first known wedding to be held at this location.