The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia mourned the passing of former Justice and state Attorney General Darrell McGraw, who died Saturday morning, Dec. 7, at the age of 88.
“Darrell McGraw devoted his life to service in West Virginia’s government through 12 years on the Supreme Court and 20 years as Attorney General. He played a key role in an entire generation of jurisprudence in the Mountain State,” said Chief Justice Tim Armstead. “We honor Justice McGraw’s legacy of service to our state and extend our deepest prayers and sympathies to his wife Jorea and their children during this difficult time.”
Justice McGraw was elected to the state Supreme Court in 1976, where he served a 12-year term that included service as Chief Justice in 1987. He was later elected state Attorney General in 1992, serving five terms in that office.
“Darrell McGraw’s legacy is an indelible mark on West Virginia’s legal landscape,” said Justice Bill Wooton. “His leadership was evident at an early age; he served as Student Body President at West Virginia University and devoted most of the remainder of his life to public service across all three branches of government. He was a key figure in the administration of Gov. Hulett Smith, a counsel to the Legislature, a former Justice of our Supreme Court and West Virginia’s longest-serving Attorney General. A hallmark of his public service was his love of the state of West Virginia and its people. He will be remembered by those who knew him as an inordinately kind and good man.”
A native of Wyoming County, Justice McGraw graduated with bachelor’s, master’s and law degrees from West Virginia University. He worked as counsel to Gov. Hulett Smith and the state Legislature prior to his election to the Supreme Court in 1976.
McGraw’s younger brother, Warren McGraw, was also a longtime public servant in the Legislature and judicial branch; he served on the state Supreme Court from 1999 through 2004 and as circuit judge in the Twenty-Seventh Judicial Circuit (Wyoming County) from 2009 to 2021. Judge Warren McGraw passed away in 2023.
Justice Darrell McGraw is survived by his wife, former state Superintendent of Schools Jorea Marple, and four children.