Mary Sue Terry

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Mary Sue Terry
36th Attorney General of Virginia
In office
January 11, 1986 – January 28, 1993
Preceded by William G. Broaddus
Succeeded by Stephen D. Rosenthal
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from the 10th district
In office
January 12, 1983 – January 11, 1986
Succeeded by W. Roscoe Reynolds
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from the 12th district
In office
January 13, 1982 – January 12, 1983
Preceded by Joseph P. Crouch
Succeeded by James R. Dobyns
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from the 13th district
In office
January 11, 1978 – January 13, 1982
Preceded by Garry G. DeBruhl
Personal details
Born Mary Sue Terry
(1947-09-28) September 28, 1947 (age 77)
Martinsville, Virginia, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Residence Patrick County, Virginia
Alma mater University of Richmond (B.A.)
University of Virginia (M.A., J.D.)
Occupation Lawyer
Religion Baptist
[1]

Mary Sue Terry (born September 28, 1947) is a Democratic politician from Virginia.[2]

Early life

Terry was born the daughter of Nathaniel Chatham Terry and Nannie Ruth Terry in Martinsville, Virginia. She was an active and enthusiastic Democrat as a girl.[3]

She was graduated from Hardin-Reynolds Memorial School in Critz, Virginia in 1965. She earned a BA in political science from the University of Richmond's Westhampton College in 1969, master's in government (1970) and law (1973) degrees from the University of Virginia and its law school.[2]

Early career

Terry was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates (1978–1986) and assistant Commonwealth's Attorney in Patrick County, Virginia 1973–1977. She successfully argued eight cases before the Supreme Court of the United States. She successfully negotiated a nationwide recall of 13,000 defective Ford ambulances and led a successful investigation and prosecution of individuals and corporations associated with Lyndon LaRouche. From 1990 to 1991 Terry was president of the National Association of Attorneys General and in 1992 she received the Wyman Award, which is the association’s highest honor. The Commonwealth of Virginia's courts did not allow prisoners to bring new exculpatory evidence more than three weeks after sentencing. Attorney General Terry once said that "Evidence of innocence is irrelevant."[4]

Attorney general

She was elected attorney general in 1985 and reelected in 1989, becoming the first woman elected to statewide office in Virginia, the second woman to serve as attorney general of any U.S. state, and the first non-federal elected official in Virginia to garner more than one million votes in a single election.[5] In 1989, she considered running for governor, but deferred to her fellow Democrat, then-Lieutenant Governor of Virginia L. Douglas Wilder, who became the first elected African-American Governor of any U.S. state.[6] When she ran in 1993, then-Lieutenant Governor Don Beyer deferred to her. Beyer, a Democrat, would go on to run for governor in 1997, losing to the Republican candidate, then-Attorney General James S. Gilmore III.

Candidate for governor

She was Attorney General of Virginia from 1986 until 1993, when she resigned to run for Governor of Virginia against Republican George Allen. Allen won the November 1993 election despite Terry's early and significant lead.[7] Her unpopular gun-control stance alienated her rural base voters. Her campaign was "lacklustre", and the religious right was a factor even though Michael Farris lost his bid to be Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. Her opponents also pointed out that she was unmarried, and perhaps less empathetic on family issues.[8][9]

Life after candidacy

Following her defeat, Terry was a visiting professor at the University of Richmond’s Jepson School of Leadership Studies.[10] She served on the Board of Trustees at the University of Richmond from 1983 to 1991.

In 2007, Terry was consulting for Microsoft and nearby Ferrum College[11] while living on her family farm in Patrick County, Virginia.[11] Since 1978, she has been a partner in Terry & Rogers, and a partner in the B.H. Cooper Farm, Inc., both in Stuart.[1]

In 2008, with Susan Platt and others, she formed "The Farm Team", a PAC to "help Democratic women seek elected office." (Leslie Byrne is a Northern Virginia chairman.) In the last quarter of 2008 they raised $6696 and contributed $4000, including $1000 to Sharon Bulova's 2009 election campaign for Chairman of the Board of Supervisors in Fairfax County, Virginia. They solicited donations through the ActBlue web site in 2009. Miss Terry was featured speaker at a breakfast fundraiser planned in Richmond 7 February 2009, in connection with Jefferson-Jackson Day. That event was connected to a reception at the Governor's mansion, later canceled because Virginia law prohibits political fundraising by state officials while the Virginia General Assembly is in session. Democratic party officials argued the event did not violate that ban, because money had been collected before the session.[12][13][14][15]

Awards and memberships

  • Service to Youth award, Virginia YMCA, 1981,
  • Distinguished Alumna award University of Richmond, 1984[1]
  • Patrick County-Stuart Chamber of Commerce (charter president and president, 1974–76)
  • West Piedmont Planning District Crime Commission (1974–77)
  • Ferrum College (President's board of advisors, 1978–83)
  • West Piedmont Health Planning Council (1975–77)
  • American Bar Association
  • Virginia State Bar
  • Virginia Trial Lawyers Association
  • Omicron Delta Kappa (1980)
  • University of Richmond (board of trustees)
  • Patrick Henry Mental Health Center (board of directors, 1975–77)
  • Virginia YMCA (board of directors)
  • First National Bank of Stuart (board of directors, chairman)
  • Library of Virginia, Virginia Women in History (2009)[16]

See also

References

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External links

Virginia House of Delegates
Preceded by
?
 Delegate 13th District: Counties of Henry, Patrick, and Pittsylvania; City of Martinsville
1978–1981		 Succeeded by
?
Preceded by
?
 Delegate 10th District: Counties of Carroll (part), Henry (part), and Patrick; City of Martinsville (part)
1982–1985		 Succeeded by
?
Legal offices
Preceded by Attorney General of Virginia
1986–1993		 Succeeded by
Stephen D. Rosenthal
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Mary Sue Terry." Marquis Who's Who TM. Marquis Who's Who, 2008. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2008. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC Fee. Retrieved 15 December 2008. Document Number: K2013007444.
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