Ex-Attorney General John J. O’Connell Dies

John J. O’Connell, who served three terms as Washington’s attorney general, has died at age 78.

O’Connell, who died Tuesday, served as attorney general from 1956 to 1968, when he was the Democratic candidate for governor. He lost to Republican Dan Evans, and returned to private practice of law.

O’Connell, who began his law practice in Tacoma in 1946, served a short stint as Tacoma city prosecutor before becoming Pierce County prosecutor in 1950. He held that post until 1956.

O’Connell was born April 30, 1919, in Tacoma and graduated from Gonzaga University in Spokane in 1942. He served as an Army captain in World War II.

He is survived by his wife, Margaret, six children and 10 grandchildren.