By Associated Press
Montgomery AL – Former two-term Alabama Attorney General McDonald Gallion died Saturday at his home in Montgomery. He was 94.
Gallion was a key figure in the clean up of crime and corruption in Phenix City, Ala. after the 1954 assasination of the winner in the attorney general's race, Albert Patterson. Gallion, an attorney, was sent to Phenix city by then Gov. Gordon Persons to help with the investigation.
Gallion was first elected attorney general in 1958 and served two terms, 1959-1963 and again from 1967-1971. He also was elected chairman of the national Attorney Generals Association.
A graduate of the University of Alabama law school, Gallion practiced law in Birmingham before enlisting in the Marines at the start of World War II. He saw combat in the South Pacific and was wounded at Saipan.
As attorney general, he led successful litigation establishing Alabama's off-shore oil and gas rights, which helped the state later establish what is now a multimillion dollar trust fund.
Survivors include a son, Thomas Travis Gallion III; a daughter, Mallory Gallion Bear.
Funeral arrangements have not been announced.