Glen Gainer, Jr.
| Glen B. Gainer, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| 18th West Virginia State Auditor | |
|
In office January 10, 1977 – January 13, 1993 |
|
| Governor |
Jay Rockefeller Arch A. Moore, Jr. Gaston Caperton |
| Preceded by | John M. Gates |
| Succeeded by | Glen Gainer III |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
July 4, 1927 Parkersburg, West Virginia, United States |
| Died | September 8, 2009 (aged 82) Parkersburg, West Virginia, United States |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Sally Jo Gainer (1955–2009; his death) |
| Children | Beth John David Glen |
| Alma mater | University of Charleston |
Glen B. Gainer, Jr. (July 4, 1927 – September 8, 2009) was an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as the 18th State Auditor of West Virginia from 1977 to 1993.
Born in 1927 to Glen. B Gainer, Sr. and Nettie Elizabeth (née Smith), Glen B. Gainer, Jr. had one brother, Thomas Gainer. He married Sally Jo Padgett in 1955 and they had one daughter, Beth, and two sons, John David and Glen.
Gainer graduated from Parkersburg High School in 1945 and then from Marietta College. He served in the United States Navy during World War II and then worked as a school teacher and an athletic coach in Wood County.
Gainer's first venture into politics came when he served as the Mayor of Parkersburg from 1968 to 1970. He was the last Mayor to serve under the city commission form of government. As such, he had to cast tie-breaking votes.
In 1976, he ran for State Auditor. He won the Democratic primary with 49%, defeating State Delegate J. Kemp McLaughlin and future State Senator Homer Heck, who took 31% and 20%, respectively. In the general election, he defeated the incumbent State Auditor John M. Gates in a landslide, by 62% to 38%. He became the second member of his family to serve as Auditor - his cousin Denzil Gainer had served as Auditor from 1961 to 1972, when he died in office.
Gainer was re-elected against Republican David Walkup in 1980 by an even larger margin, 66% to 34%.
In 1982, he ran for West Virginia's 1st congressional district. Incumbent Democratic Congressman Bob Mollohan was retiring and the seat was open. Mollohan had been grooming his son Alan to succeed him for years and he won the Democratic primary with 41% of the vote. State Senator Dan R. Tonkovich came second with 36%, Gainer came third with 14%, Barbara Trushel came fourth with 4%, former gubernatorial candidate H. John Rogers came fifth with 2% and Timmy Kearns came last with under 2%. Alan Mollohan went on to win the general election and represented the district until 2011.
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