Mark Lawrence Earley (born July 26, 1954)[1] is an American politician. As a member of the Republican Party, he was elected to the Virginia State Senate (1988–1998) and then as Attorney General of Virginia from 1998 to 2001. In 2001, he resigned as Attorney General to focus his time on the 2001 campaign for Governor of Virginia. He ran to succeed James Gilmore, but lost to businessman and Democratic Party leader Mark Warner.
Since 2002, Earley has been the president of Prison Fellowship, a prominent Christian organization dedicated to ministry to prison inmates and their families. He is a husband and a father of six.
As Attorney General of Virginia, Earley blocked any potential prosecution against evangelist Pat Robertson after an investigation by the Commonwealth of Virginia concluded that Robertson diverted his ministry's donations to a Liberian diamond-mining operation.[2][3]
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Richard Cullen |
Attorney General of Virginia January 17, 1998 – June 4, 2001 |
Succeeded by Randolph A. Beales |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Jim Gilmore |
Republican Nominee for Governor of Virginia 2001 |
Succeeded by Jerry Kilgore |