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Hulett C. Smith | Ex-W.Va. governor, 93

Former West Virginia Gov. Hulett C. Smith, 93, who signed bills in the 1960s that abolished the state's death penalty and implemented its first strip-mining laws, died Sunday in Arizona, where he had moved to an assisted living facility last fall, his family said Monday.

FILE - Former West Virginia Democratic Gov. Hulett C. Smith of Beckley, is seen in a 1979 file photo. Smith, who signed West Virginia's first strip mining laws and the bill that abolished the state's death penalty, died Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012 in Scottsdale, Ariz, Smith's family announced. He was 93. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - Former West Virginia Democratic Gov. Hulett C. Smith of Beckley, is seen in a 1979 file photo. Smith, who signed West Virginia's first strip mining laws and the bill that abolished the state's death penalty, died Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012 in Scottsdale, Ariz, Smith's family announced. He was 93. (AP Photo, File)Read moreAP
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Former West Virginia Gov. Hulett C. Smith, 93, who signed bills in the 1960s that abolished the state's death penalty and implemented its first strip-mining laws, died Sunday in Arizona, where he had moved to an assisted living facility last fall, his family said Monday.

Mr. Smith, a Democrat, first ran for governor in 1960, but failed to win his party's nomination. He was elected four years later, at a time when governors were limited to a single term. During his tenure, the Legislature enacted measures to control air and water pollution and to protect human rights.

Mr. Smith was an honors graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, where he majored in economics.

In retirement, he became an outspoken advocate for the environment. - AP

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