Longtime West Virginia political figure Larry Faircloth has died, family members have posted on social media.
A cause of death wasn’t immediately clear for Faircloth, who was 75. He had battled the effects of polio his whole life.
Faircloth, a Republican from Berkeley County, first ran for the House of Delegates in 1980. He served in the House until 2012.
He twice ran for governor. In 2004, he was defeated for the Republican nomination for governor by Monty Warner. He then ran in the 2011 special election for governor to fill the vacancy left by Joe Manchin, but he was defeated in the Republican primary by Bill Maloney.
In 2012, Faircloth ran for state Auditor but was defeated by incumbent Glen Gainer III.
And in 2014, he ran for state Senate but was defeated by then-incumbent Senator John Unger.
Faircloth graduated from Musselman High School and majored in business administration at then-Shepherd College. He opened his own realty business, Larry V. Faircloth Realty.
Senator Manchin was among those who expressed sorrow over Faircloth’s death.
“Gayle and I are heartbroken to learn of the passing of our dear friend Larry Faircloth. I have worked alongside him for many years, and his dedication to helping West Virginians made him the epitome of a public servant,” Manchin said in a statement.
“His over 30 years in the West Virginia House of Delegates is a testament to his passion and devotion to serving the people of the Eastern Panhandle and across the Mountain State. Our hearts and prayers are with the entire Faircloth family as they go through this very difficult time.”