Howard W. Carson

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Howard W. Carson
Member of the West Virginia Senate
from the 11th district
In office
1956–1968
Preceded byJ. Alfred Taylor, Jr.
Succeeded byRobert Holliday
President of the West Virginia Senate
In office
1961–1969
Preceded byRalph J. Bean
Succeeded byLloyd G. Jackson
Personal details
Born(1910-04-30)April 30, 1910
Montgomery, West Virginia
DiedAugust 9, 1994(1994-08-09) (aged 84)
Charlottesville, Virginia
Political partyDemocratic Party

Howard W. Carson (April 30, 1910 – August 9, 1994)[1] was an American Democratic politician. Carson was a member of the West Virginia Senate for the 11th district from 1956 to 1968. From 1961 to 1968, he served as President of the West Virginia Senate.[2]

Early life

Carson was born in Montgomery, Fayette County on April 30, 1910. He was the son of Lawrence W. and Alice Montgomery Carson. He received a law degree from Washington and Lee University.[3]

Career

Carson was named as Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Fayette County, West Virginia in 1944.[4] At roughly the same time, Carson became the chairman of the Fayette County Democratic Executive Committee.[6] He resigned this position in 1948 to unsuccessfully run for the state's 11th Senate district, being defeated in the Democratic primary by J. Alfred Taylor, Jr.[5][7] In 1952, Carson won the race for Prosecuting Attorney for Fayette County, succeeding his former boss C.B. Vickers.[8]

Carson was elected to the West Virginia Senate in 1956.[9] He was nominated again in 1960. As no one filed to stand in the Republican primary, the party executive committee chose John Gwinn to oppose Carson's reelection.[citation needed] However, Gwinn's certification was lost in the mail, and he was disqualified from the ballot.[10] A write-in campaign for Gwinn only earned 5.2% of the vote, and Carson was re-elected.[11][12]

Incumbent

W. W. Barron and organized labor groups, Carson earned so much support among Senate Democrats that Singleton was not able to place his name for nomination.[14][15] He would win his seat again in 1964, with no Republican opposition on the ballot.[16][17]

Instead of running for a fourth term in the Senate, Carson opted to run for

Attorney General. He was defeated in the Democratic primary by Chauncey H. Browning Jr.[18] After losing, Carson practiced law privately in Fayette County. He was named the Clerk of the Senate for the 1972, 1973, and 1974 terms.[19] He declined to seek the nomination for the 1975 session, citing health reasons.[20]

Personal life

Carson was married to Sunny N. née Hill in 1939, and had two children.[21] He attended Fayetteville Methodist Church.[21][3]

Carson died August 9, 1994, in his home in Charlottesville, Virginia.[22][2]

References

  1. ^ "Deaths", Washington Post, August 12, 1994
  2. ^
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  3. ^
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  4. Newspapers.com
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  5. ^
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  6. ^ An article in the Beckley Post-Herald from 1948 states that he had held the office for "nearly four years"[5]
  7. Newspapers.com
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  8. Newspapers.com
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  9. Newspapers.com
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  10. Newspapers.com
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  11. Newspapers.com
    . Claude 'Bud' Ferris, Fayette County Chairman... told the group of a 'write-in' campaign starting for John Gwinn of Springdale.
  12. ^ "1960 General Election results" (PDF). sos.wv.gov. Secretary of State of West Virginia. p. 19. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  13. Newspapers.com
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  14. Newspapers.com
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  15. Newspapers.com
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  16. ^ "196 4General Election results" (PDF). sos.wv.gov. Secretary of State of West Virginia. p. 20. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  17. Newspapers.com
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  18. Newspapers.com
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  19. Newspapers.com
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  20. Newspapers.com
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  21. ^
    Newspapers.com
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  22. ^ "Carson, Fayette politician, dies". Beckley Register-Herald. Beckley. August 10, 1994. p. 19.
Political offices
Preceded by
President of the WV Senate

1961–1969 		Succeeded by
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