James Paull Jr. (May 3, 1901 – March 8, 1983) was a lawyer and Democratic politician who served as for twelve years in the

West Virginia Senate The West Virginia Senate is the upper house of the West Virginia Legislature. There are seventeen senatorial districts. Each district has two senators who serve staggered four-year terms. Although the Democratic Party held a supermajority in the ...

representing

Brooke County Brooke County is a county in the Northern Panhandle of the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,559. Its county seat is Wellsburg. The county was created in 1797 from part of Ohio County and named in hono ...

, the final two (1943 to 1945) as president of that body.

Early and family life

He was born in Wellsburg, West Virginia on May 3, 1901, one of two children of James Paull and Mariana Jacob Paull of Wellsburg. His father was an important and successful business man, and his grandfather, Judge James Paull (1818–1875), had been a respected lawyer and politician in the Ohio River valley who served as a West Virginia Supreme Court justice. Paull graduated from

Washington & Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washington County established by three Presbyterian missionaries to ...

, then

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...

. On September 5, 1934, he married Helen Catherine Prugh of

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, and they had four children: James III, Laura, Helen and Robert.

Career

After admission to the West Virginia bar, Paull practiced law in nearby Wheeling, West Virginia. In 1932, during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, he won election to the

, and was re-elected to that part-time position several times, representing the 1st state senatorial district until the end of World War II. During his final two years, fellow state senators elected him as their president. In 1951, Paull joined Eagle Manufacturing Company, which his father had founded in Wellsburg in 1894, and became its president. He was a prominent and well-respected member of the community, active in civic organizations including the

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, Lions and

Beta Theta Pi Beta Theta Pi (), commonly known as Beta, is a North American social fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. One of North America's oldest fraternities, as of 2022 it consists of 144 active chapters in the Unite ...

, and held leadership positions in West Virginia business and political organizations.

Death and legacy

James Paull died in 1983, survived by his four children, and eight grandchildren. He was buried at the family grave site in Wellsburg.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paull, James Democratic Party West Virginia state senators Presidents of the West Virginia Senate American Presbyterians 1901 births 1983 deaths West Virginia lawyers People from Wellsburg, West Virginia Politicians from Wheeling, West Virginia Washington & Jefferson College alumni Yale Law School alumni 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American legislators Lawyers from Wheeling, West Virginia 20th-century West Virginia politicians