Darrell McGraw

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Darrell Vivian McGraw, Jr. (born November 8, 1936 in McGraws-Tipple, Wyoming County, West Virginia) is a lifelong West Virginian and a Democratic politician. He is the brother of former State Supreme Court Justice Warren McGraw.

He was elected Attorney General in 1992 and re-elected in 1996, 2000, and 2004.

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, dedicating 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.

Before serving as Attorney General, McGraw was a State Supreme Court Justice, including four years as Chief Justice (1984-1988). The McGraw Court upheld the state Freedom of Information Act and ordered that exemptions to that right are extremely limited.^[1]

In 1992 he was elected to his present office of Attorney General. As Attorney General for the State of West Virginia, he has been involved in many high profile national cases, including the 1998 multi-billion dollar State Tobacco Settlement, which secured billions of dollars for the state of West Virginia. As of a result of the settlement money, West Virginia will save $2.5 billion due to a bond sale that resulted from the settlement.^[2] His office also litigated refunds for over 1,200 W.Va. residents from DirecTV totaling $152,000.00^[3].

McGraw lives in Charleston with his wife Jorea Marple. He has four children, Julia Elizabeth McGraw-Austin, Sarah McGraw-Plaster, Darrell Vivian McGraw III, and Elliotte Catherine Zekany McGraw, as well as one grandson.

[edit] Criticisms

McGraw has been criticized by some newspapers, state legislators, tort reform advocates, and the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, who accuse him of cronyism,^[4] benefiting trial lawyers who contribute to his political campaigns, and inappropriate use of public resources.^[5]

[edit] References

^ “Rulings demand openness of records” The Charleston Gazette (January 29, 2002)
^ “Bond sale cuts teacher pension fund payments to $285 million” The Charleston Gazette (June 27, 2007)
^ “$125 DIRECTV refunds due to 1,216 in state” Charleston Daily Mail (July 7, 2007)
^ “Sunshine for Hoods: State AGs and their trial-bar cronies,” The Wall Street Journal (February 20, 2007)
^ West Virginia Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse, Special Report: Flouting Laws You Are Charged To Protect: A Critical Look at Fourteen Years in the Office of Attorney General Darrell McGraw, June 2007