MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Former Berkeley County Delegate John Overington has died.
West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner announced Overington’s passing Tuesday night, saying Overington died earlier in the day.
Warner lauded Overington as a long-time and respected legislator and a leader in the state Republican Party.
Overington was a member of the House of Delegates for 34 years.
He announced in January 2018 he would not run again.
“I’ve enjoyed my service over the last third of a century, 34 years,” told MetroNews at the time. “At 71 (years old) I wanted to move on and do some other things.”
Overington said he originally ran more than three decades ago to help the state.
“Improving the business climate, making West Virginia business friendly so that people have the opportunities in this state.”
Overington introduced a bill for many years to return the death penalty to West Virginia. In a 2017 interview with MetroNews he explained why, “Of all the tasks of government, the most basic is to protect its citizens from violence,” he said, quoting former U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles.
Overington was 79-years-old.
MetroNews reporter Jeff Jenkins contributed to this story.