Wally Barron

William Wallace "Wally" Barron (December 8, 1911 – November 12, 2002) was an American Democratic politician in West Virginia. He was the state's 26th Governor from 1961 to 1965.

Wally Barron
Barron from The Monticola, 1963
26th Governor of West Virginia
In office
January 16, 1961 – January 18, 1965
Preceded byCecil H. Underwood
Succeeded byHulett C. Smith
27th Attorney General of West Virginia
In office
1957–1961
GovernorCecil H. Underwood
Preceded byJohn G. Fox
Succeeded byC. Donald Robertson
Personal details
Born(1911-12-08)December 8, 1911
Elkins, West Virginia, U.S.
DiedNovember 12, 2002(2002-11-12) (aged 90)
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Opal Wilcox Barron
ProfessionPolitician
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
RankSergeant
Battles/warsWorld War II

He was born in Elkins, West Virginia. He attended Washington and Lee University and the West Virginia University Law School. During World War II, he served in the United States Army. In 1949, he was elected mayor of Elkins. He became a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1950 and was re-elected in 1952. He resigned his seat when appointed as Liquor Control Commissioner by Governor William C. Marland subsequent to the 1952 election. He was nominated to Attorney General in 1956.

In 1960, he was elected governor of West Virginia and continued the clean government and civil rights reforms that had been instituted by his predecessor, Cecil H. Underwood.[1]

He died on November 12, 2002, in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Corruption trial and prison

On August 30, 1968, Barron was acquitted of federal charges concerning alleged money kickbacks and rigged state contract schemes in which he and several of his associates were involved. It was later realized that Barron and his wife, Opal Barron, had bribed the jury foreman. Barron was indicted, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He served four years of his sentence.[2]

See also

References
  1. http://www.wvculture.org/history/government/governors/barron.html
  2. Anewman (August 30, 2017). "August 30, 1968: Wally Barron Acquitted of Federal Charges". West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
Party political offices
Preceded by
Bob Mollohan		 Democratic nominee for Governor of West Virginia
1960		 Succeeded by
Hulett C. Smith
Legal offices
Preceded by
John G. Fox		 Attorney General of West Virginia
1957–1961		 Succeeded by
C. Donald Robertson
Political offices
Preceded by
Cecil H. Underwood		 Governor of West Virginia
1961–1965		 Succeeded by
Hulett C. Smith


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.