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John F. McCuskey

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American judge (born 1947)
John F. McCuskey
Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia
In office
Jan. 12, 1998 – Dec. 31, 1998
Preceded byThomas McHugh
Succeeded byWarren McGraw
Member of the West Virginia House of Delegates
In office
1973–1977
Preceded byThomas McHugh
Succeeded byWarren McGraw
Personal details
Born (1947-11-07) November 7, 1947 (age 77)
Harrison County, West Virginia, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Alma materWest Virginia Wesleyan College (BA)
West Virginia University College of Law (JD)

John F. McCuskey (born November 7, 1947) is West Virginia lawyer and politician who served for brief periods in the West Virginia State Legislature and on the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.

Early life, education, and political career

Born and raised in Clarksburg, West Virginia, McCuskey received a B.A. in mathematics from West Virginia Wesleyan College, and a B.S.E.E. from the University of Pennsylvania. He was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1972, while he was still a student at the West Virginia University College of Law, sitting out one year of law school to pursue the office. He received his J.D. degree from WVU in 1973. As a legislator, McCuskey refused to accept the daily allowance offered to legislators during a special session of the legislature, on the basis that the work of the legislature should have been completed during its regular session.

McCuskey remained in the legislature for four years, during which time he served on committees addressing the state judiciary, agriculture and natural resources, constitutional revision, and state parks, and sponsored legislation to reconfigure the state's justice of the peace system. In 1976, he was the Republican candidate for West Virginia's 1st congressional district, running against incumbent Democrat Bob Mollohan.

Legal career

McCuskey served as West Virginia's Commissioner of Finance and Administration from 1985 to 1988, and later became a partner in the firm of Campbell Woods Bagley in Charleston. During this time, his trial practice concentrated on product liability and insurance defense. McCuskey was appointed by Republican Governor Cecil H. Underwood to fill a vacancy on the state supreme court caused by the retirement of Justice Thomas McHugh on January 12, 1998. McCuskey ran for the remainder of the expired term, and during the course of the campaign refused support from a political action committee fund set up by direct marketing mogul Benjamin Suarez, who was feuding with West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw, the brother of McCuskey's opponent. On November 3, 1998, McCuskey was defeated by Warren McGraw in the election to fill the remainder of Justice McHugh's term, which expired on December 31, 2004. McCuskey served until December 31, 1998. During his time on the court, he authored 10 majority opinions and numerous concurrences and dissents.

In 1999, after his service on the Supreme Court, McCuskey co-founded Shuman, McCuskey & Slicer, PLLC.

Personal

McCuskey has two children. His son JB McCuskey was elected West Virginia State Auditor in 2016. His daughter Liz is a tenured professor of law at the University of Massachusetts and is a preeminent national scholar in health law.

Elections

1998 Supreme Court of Appeals Election
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John F. McCuskey (incumbent) 47,923 65.9%
Republican John Yoder 24,843 34.1%
Total votes 72,766 100.0%
General election
Democratic Warren McGraw 194,951 53.7%
Republican John F. McCuskey (incumbent) 167,907 46.3%
Total votes 362,858 100.0%
Democratic gain from Republican

References

  1. ^ "Two Candidates Eying Congress", The Weirton Daily Times (October 26, 1976), p. 1.
  2. "State Legislature Stays In Firm Grasp Of Demos", The Raleigh Register (November 8, 1972), p. 1, 2.
  3. "Solon Won't Accept Pay, Flay's Recall", The Raleigh Register and Beckley Post-Herald (May 26, 1973), p. 8.
  4. "Pay Rejected By Legislator", The Philadelphia Inquirer (May 27, 1973), p. 2.
  5. "Suarez funds PAC", The Akron Beacon Journal (June 12, 1998), p. 27.
  6. "Hon. John F. McCuskey".
  7. "West Virginia Auditor J.B. McCuskey Joins 2024 Governor's Race". theintelligencer.net. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  8. "Elizabeth McCuskey | School of Law". www.bu.edu. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  9. "1998 Election Results" (PDF). Secretary of State of West Virginia. Retrieved March 31, 2021.

External links

Party political offices
VacantTitle last held byJoe Laurita, Jr. Republican nominee for West Virginia Attorney General
1984 		VacantTitle next held byRobert James Gould
Legal offices
Preceded byThomas McHugh Justice for the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia
1998 		Succeeded byWarren McGraw
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