Margarette Leach, 1926-2007

Former longtime Cabell County legislator Margarette Leach died Sunday at age 81.

The Herald-Dispatch of Huntington has an article as well as photo gallery and her obituary.

Elected to seven terms in the House of Delegates, Leach's health had been failing for some time. She relied on a motorized scooter to get around the Capitol, and fellow delegates to help her to and from her seat on the House floor. Her health sidelined her during the 2006 campaign, and she became the only incumbent Democrat to lose that November.

Gov. Joe Manchin issued a brief statement on Leach's passing.

Claude "Big Daddy" Ellis: 1926-2007

The city of Logan lost its mayor Thursday, while West Virginia is left with one less "tough boy."

Claude "Big Daddy" Ellis, 81, was a key figure in the widely suspected vote-buying that helped John F. Kennedy win the Mountain State's primary during the 1960 presidential campaign.

Ellis and other chief players spoke at length for a 2003 book on the topic: "West Virginia Tough Boys: Vote Buying, Fist Fighting, And A President Named JFK."

The Logan Banner has a story on Ellis' death.

Lawson W. Hamilton Jr.: 1923-2007

Before his death Wednesday at age 84, Lawson W. Hamilton Jr. had become a legend in several respects: as a successful coal operator, an often-anonymous philanthropist and a key figure in the state's select pantheon of GOP donors.

The Associated Press has a report on his passing, as does the Charleston Daily Mail and MetroNews (with audio). (Update: The Charleston Gazette also has a story.)

Hamilton's support was sought by generations of Republican politicians, though he also contributed to the occasional Democrat. He gave at least $105,000 in the last decade to federal and state candidates and causes, including $25,000 for the 1997 inauguration of Gov. Cecil Underwood.

But Hamilton was perhaps more-well known for his charitable giving - to hospitals, for cancer research, to co-found Kids Count, to name just a few.

Yet, Hamilton often kept a low profile in his giving, as when he donated about $500,000 in gold leaf for the state Capitol dome in 1990. His gift became known only when he joined calls in 1998 to address the black streaks that had marred it.

Martha Wehrle, 1925-2007

Martha Wehrle, the veteran former legislator who represented Kanawha County for more than 20 years in both the House of Delegates and Senate, died Wednesday at age 81.

Though retired from the Legislature since 1995, she remained active in politics. She served as treasurer for the 2008 re-election campaign of U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., a longtime friend.

"Her father was a Republican, her mother a Democrat, but Martha always brought her own unique perspective to issues," Sen. Robert C. Byrd, said Thursday of his fellow Democrat.

The Charleston Daily Mail has a story on her life and passing.

Kenneth Ervin, 1962-2007

A leading advocate for West Virginians with disabilities, Ken Ervin, died over the weekend. He was 45.

"If you’ve spent much time at the state Capitol, you may have seen Ervin wheeling down the hallways – leading a protest or trying to corner a lawmaker or government official," Public Broadcasting observes in a piece about his unexpected death.

The Charleston Gazette has the obituary.

Update: The Charleston Daily Mail profiled Ervin on Wednesday.

Mark Coyle, 1965-2007

Mark Coyle, 42, a former Statehouse reporter for MetroNews and longtime GOP political operative, was killed in a weekend car crash in upstate New York.

The Post-Standard of Syracuse has an article on the wreck, which also killed a second driver and left Coyle's 5-year-old daughter seriously injured.

MetroNews also has an item.

Coyle's more recent clients included former state Sen. Sarah Minear, R-Tucker, and John Raese. Though based in the Beltway section of Virginia for several years, Coyle continued to keep an eye on Mountain State politics.

Update: A newspaper in Coyle's native New York has his obituary.

Robert James Gould, 1958-2007

Charleston lawyer Robert James "Bob" Gould had just scored another plum in a lengthy career as a GOP politico: chair of the West Virginia campaign for Republican presidential front-runner Rudy Giuliani. Gould helped arrange the Aug. 3 fundraiser featuring the former New York mayor at The Greenbrier.

But that coup was soon followed by a bombshell: a cancer diagnosis. Friends reported to The Associated Press his death Saturday from the disease.

Gould graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson and earned his law degree at Syracuse. His career ranged from posts in Reagan's Department of Housing and Urban Development, to a 1992 run for West Virginia attorney general, to counsel for Republicans in the state Senate.

But before signing on with Giuliani, Gould had worked on or helped manage all manner of GOP campaigns: Pat Robertson for president in 1988, Jon McBride for governor in 1996, even a 2006 gubernatorial race in Colorado.

"Gould is survived by his wife Denise, two daughters and a son," AP reports. "A visitation and funeral service are scheduled for Thursday in Charleston."

Si Galperin, 1932-2007

Simon Hirsch "Si" Galperin Jr., 75, died Sunday after a career that included several terms in the Legislature and, most recently, as a lobbyist.

The Charleston Gazette has an article as well as the obituary.

Galperin represented Citizens for Clean Elections during the most recent legislative session.