Gary K. Nelson (July 12, 1935 – May 17, 2013) was an American lawyer, politician, and jurist who served as the
Attorney General of Arizona
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 attorn ...
from 1968 to 1974. Appointed to the
court of appeals
A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of ...
, Nelson is the only appellate judge in Arizona history to not be retained by the voters.
Life and career
Nelson was born in
La Crosse, Wisconsin
La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population as of the 2020 census w ...
in 1935. He attended
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the U ...
, receiving his B.S. in 1957. Graduating from ROTC, Nelson then served in the United States Army from 1957 to 1959 in the intelligence service with the rank of captain. He earned his law degree from the
University of Arizona in 1962. After graduating law school Nelson served as a law clerk to then-Chief Justice
Fred C. Struckmeyer Jr. He briefing worked in private practice before becoming an assistant attorney general. In 1966, Nelson argued, and lost, the landmark supreme court case ''
Miranda v. Arizona
''Miranda v. Arizona'', 384 U.S. 436 (1966), was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution restricts prosecutors from using a person's statements made in response to ...
''.
Nelson was elected attorney general in 1968. In 1974, he resigned to accept an appointment to the
Arizona Court of Appeals. He lost his
retention election
A judicial retention election (or retention referendum) is a periodic process in some jurisdictions whereby a judge is subject to a referendum held at the same time as a general election. The judge is removed from office if a majority of votes are ...
in 1978.
[1978 General Election Canvass]
/ref> His retention was clouded by "allegations that he took bribes during his service as attorney general and failed to pay income taxes on the alleged payoff money. He was cleared of the accusations after federal and state investigations."[3 finalists chosen for high court]
by Charles Kelly, The Arizona Republic, December 3, 1988
He worked as the Chief Staff Attorney for the Arizona Supreme Court
The Arizona Supreme Court is the state supreme court of the U.S. state of Arizona. Sitting in the Supreme Court building in downtown Phoenix, the court consists of a chief justice, a vice chief justice, and five associate justices. Each justice i ...
from 1979 until his retirement in 1997.Rose Mofford
Rose Mofford (née Perica; June 10, 1922September 15, 2016) was an American civil servant and politician of the Democratic Party whose career in state government spanned 51 years. Beginning her career with the State of Arizona as a secretary, Mof ...
selected Robert J. Corcoran instead.[
Nelson died on May 17, 2013, in ]Mesa, Arizona
Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa County, in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is the most populous city in the East Valley (Phoenix metropolitan area), East Valley section of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is bordered by ...
at age 77.
Election results
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Gary K.
1935 births
2013 deaths
Arizona Attorneys General
Arizona Republicans