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June 9, 1926: Politician C. Donald Robertson Born

C. Donald Robertson
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Politician C. Donald Robertson was born in Clarksburg on June 9, 1926.

He served Harrison County in the West Virginia House of Delegates for four years beginning in the late 1950s.

He was elected attorney general in 1960 and again in 1964. In 1968, he ran for governor but lost in the Democratic primary to James Sprouse, who would go on to lose to Arch Moore in the general election.

After his defeat, Robertson left public office. In 1971, he, his brother Dana Robertson, and former state Federal Housing Administration Director James F. Haught were indicted on federal charges of taking kickbacks on low-income housing assistance. C. Donald Robertson pleaded guilty to conspiracy and one count of using interstate communication facilities for racketeering. He was sentenced to five years in federal prison and fined $15,000.

It’s believed that Robertson was one of many individuals who helped federal investigators with their probe into former Governor Wally Barron’s administration. That investigation led to criminal indictments of Barron and three other state officials for bid-rigging state contracts and taking kickbacks.

C. Donald Robertson died in Charleston in 1996 at age 69.