J. Grant Woods (May 19, 1954 – October 23, 2021) was an American attorney and politician who served as Attorney General of

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

from 1991 until 1999. Woods was a moderate-to-liberal

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

who served as John McCain's chief of staff when he was a congressman. He endorsed

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

in the

2016 United States presidential election The 2016 United States presidential election was the 58th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticket ...

and Joe Biden in the 2020 United States presidential election.

Background and early career

Grant Woods was the son of Joe Woods, a developer in the Mesa, Arizona area. Woods attended the Arizona State University College of Law (now the

Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law The Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (ASU Law) is one of the professional graduate schools at Arizona State University in Phoenix, Arizona. The school is located in the Beus Center for Law and Society on ASU's downtown Phoenix campus. The law ...

), graduating in 1979.

Career

McCain funeral service - 180830-Z-CZ735-179

Woods, considered a moderate-to-liberal Republican, was the

Arizona Attorney General The Arizona Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Arizona, in the United States. This state officer is the head of the Arizona Department of Law, more commonly known as the Arizona Attorney General's Office. The state attorne ...

from 1991 to 1999. In the 1980s, he was the first congressional chief of staff for the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and was a longtime friend and confidant of McCain's. During the

, he endorsed the Democratic candidate,

. Regarding the two presidential candidates, he wrote, "Hillary Clinton is one of the most qualified nominees to ever run for president.

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

is the least qualified ever. The stakes are too high to stand on the sideline. I stand with Hillary Clinton for president." Woods delivered a eulogy at Senator McCain's funeral in 2018. Woods recounted stories of his time with McCain and wrote that their friendship was "a little bit harrowing, a little bit wild ... but a lot of fun. And the greatest honor of my life". Jon Kyl was appointed to succeed McCain, but said he would not run for re-election. He resigned in December 2018 and Governor

Doug Ducey Douglas Anthony Ducey (, né Roscoe Jr.; born April 9, 1964) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 23rd governor of Arizona since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Ducey was previously the CEO of Cold Stone Creamery, a c ...

appointed

Martha McSally Martha Elizabeth McSally (born March 22, 1966) is an American politician and former military pilot who served as a United States senator for Arizona from 2019 to 2020. A member of the Republican Party, she served as the U.S. representative for ...

to fill the remainder of the term. A special election would be held in 2020. Woods considered running for the seat as a Democrat; however, he announced on February 8, 2019, that he would not seek election to McCain's former senate seat in 2020 to avoid campaigning against other Democrats, stating that "Democrats are not the problem." He supported Joe Biden in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries and the 2020 United States presidential election, writing "The future of our country is at stake... If you think the last two and a half years have been bad, try eight years of Donald Trump. My message to Democrats is, 'Look we can have a nice primary, that's fine, but why don't we nominate somebody who can actually win?' That's Joe Biden." In June 2021, Woods was fired from the law firm Gallagher & Kennedy (G&K), after he sent out a tweet criticizing

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

owner

Ken Kendrick Earl Gentry "Ken" Kendrick, Jr. (born September 2, 1943) is an American businessman who is the principal owner and managing general partner of the National League's Arizona Diamondbacks. He became part-owner with the team's inception in 1995. He h ...

. G&K is the legal representative for the Diamondbacks.

Personal life

Woods was married to the former Marlene Galan, and had five children. He died from a heart attack on October 23, 2021, at age 67. Woods first wife, Barbara Ross, is the mother of his 2 oldest children.

Electoral history

References

External links

*
Official Website of Grant Woods
(Unsecured) {{DEFAULTSORT:Woods, Grant 1954 births 2021 deaths 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American lawyers Arizona Attorneys General Arizona Democrats Arizona Republicans Arizona State University alumni Occidental College alumni People from Elk City, Oklahoma