Walter Terry McBrayer (September 1, 1937 – October 11, 2020) was an American lobbyist, attorney, and Democratic politician. McBrayer was born in

Ironton, Ohio Ironton is a city in and the county seat of Lawrence County, Ohio, United States. Located in southernmost Ohio along the Ohio River northwest of Huntington, West Virginia, the city includes the Downtown Ironton Historic District. The populatio ...

. He lived in

Greenup, Kentucky Greenup is a home rule-class city located at the confluence of the Little Sandy River with the Ohio River in Greenup County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 1,188 at the 2010 census. Greenup is one of three county seats in the Com ...

and was the senior partner and lead lobbyist for the influential McBrayer, McGinnis, Leslie & Kirkland law firm. He was a graduate of

Morehead State University Morehead State University (MSU) is a public university in Morehead, Kentucky. The university began as Morehead Normal School, which opened its doors in 1887. The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, a two-year residential ea ...

and

Louis D. Brandeis School of Law The University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, commonly referred to as The University of Louisville School of Law, U of L Brandeis School of Law, or the Brandeis School of Law, is the law school of the University of Louisville. ...

at the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...

. McBrayer served in the

Kentucky House of Representatives The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form ...

, representing Kentucky's 98th legislative district (Greenup County), from 1966 until his retirement in 1976. During his tenure, McBrayer was elected Speaker Pro-Tempore (1968–1969) and Majority Floor Leader (1970–1972). He was an unsuccessful candidate for governor in 1979, losing in the Democratic primary after a third-place finish (26% of the vote) in a nine-way race to

John Y. Brown, Jr. John Young Brown Jr. (December 28, 1933 – November 22, 2022) was an American politician, entrepreneur, and businessman from Kentucky. He served as the 55th governor of Kentucky from 1979 to 1983, and built Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) into a ...

(the nominee and eventual winner of the general election) and Harvey Sloane. McBrayer served as President Clinton's Authorized Representative for Kentucky during the

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

and

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

campaigns. In 1995, McBrayer was elected chairman of the Kentucky Democratic Party and was a committeeman for the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...

. McBrayer died on October 11, 2020, in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

, aged 83 of cancer.

References

1937 births 2020 deaths 20th-century American politicians American lobbyists Deaths from cancer in Kentucky Kentucky lawyers Democratic Party members of the Kentucky House of Representatives People from Greenup County, Kentucky People from Ironton, Ohio Morehead State University alumni University of Louisville alumni {{Kentucky-politician-stub