Governor Barron Campaign Button
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Title
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Governor Barron Campaign Button
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Description
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William Wallace "Wally" Barron was West Virginia's 26th Governor. He was born and raised in Elkins, West Virginia, and received his law degree from West Virginia University in 1941. He served as mayor of Elkins, a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, and as West Virginia Attorney General. He was elected governor in 1960, beating Republican opponent Harold Neely by 86,110 votes. Barron survived an allegation that he had offered $65,000 to an opponent to stay out of the race. The governor took the oath of office secretly at 12:02 a.m. so that he could immediately sign a 1 cent sales tax that predecessor Governor Underwood had declined to sign. Barron supported Sen. John F. Kennedy in the Democratic primary in West Virginia that year, and in return, President JFK spoke at West Virginia's centennial ceremony in Charleston on June 20, 1963, to a crowd of 10,000 people.
Barron focused on job programs, started the successful West Virginia Youth Science Camp, and in 1964, issued a $200 million bond for highway construction. Barron claimed 14 economic records that year. Barron left office in early 1965 and was considering running in the 1968 election. However, in February 1968, in what became known as the"Valentine Day's Massacre," Barron and five others were indicted by the federal grand jury on bribery-conspiracy charges relating to alleged "dummy corporations." The judge considered acquittal on the basis that Barron acted routinely in signing agreements without intent of wrongdoing. The jury deliberated for 18 hours, and the verdict was Barron innocent and the five others guilty.
In the Summer of 1970, stories began to circulate in the media that the jury had voted 11 to 1 in favor of convicting Barron. The lone holdout was jury foreman Ralph Buckalew. In February of 1971, the federal jury indicted Mr. And Mrs. Barron on charges of bribing the foreman of the jury. The allegation was that Mrs. Barron gave Mrs. Buckalew $25,000 in a brown paper bag as a pay-off. Mrs. Barron was dropped from the indictment, and Barron pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years. He served 4 years.
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Creator
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Barron, William W. (William Wallace), 1911-2002
