Alan McCrory Wilson (born July 16, 1973) is an American lawyer and politician, currently serving as the 51st Attorney General of South Carolina. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Early life and education
Recap: Lt. Colonel Alan Wilson, South Carolina Attorney General - Alan Wilson joined the Army National Guard immediately after graduating from college and served in Iraq, where he earned the Combat Action Badge after ...
Wilson was born Alan McCrory. His father, Michael McCrory, was an Army captain and Vietnam veteran. He was killed in 1975 in a helicopter crash during a training exercise at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Wilson's mother, Roxanne Dusenbury McCrory, then married Joe Wilson, who currently serves as the U.S. Representative for South Carolina's 2nd congressional district. Joe Wilson adopted Alan when he was three, and Alan took his last name. Along with his three brothers, Alan is an Eagle Scout.
Wilson graduated from Francis Marion University with a bachelor's degree in political science in 1996, and received a J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2002.
Following college, he joined the South Carolina National Guard. Today, he is a Colonel in the Judge Advocate General Corps.
Legal career
Wilson served as an intern in the Attorney General's office under Charlie Condon. After law school, he worked for Judge Marc H. Westbrook of the South Carolina Circuit Court. Wilson later served as an Assistant Solicitor and as an Assistant Attorney General. In 2009, he moved to the private sector and started working at the law firm Willoughby & Hoefer in Columbia, South Carolina.
2010 campaign
Henry McMaster did not run for reelection as Attorney General, choosing instead to run for governor, as incumbent Mark Sanford was term limited. Wilson won the GOP nomination in a runoff election on June 22, 2010, receiving 60 percent of the vote against his opponent Leighton Lord. Wilson defeated Democrat Matthew Richardson and Green Party candidate Leslie Minerd in the general election on November 2.
Investigation of campaign contributions
In 2013, Wilson self-reported his campaign failed to report least 84 contributions and expenditures on required public reports. In February 2013, Wilson originally admitted his campaign failed to disclose and report receiving at least 15 separate contributions of unknown amounts. A further investigation completed in March 2013 revealed at least 68 unreported contributions and 16 unreported expenditures. As the errors were self reported and the reports were subsequently re-filed, Wilson faced no penalties.
Zombie voters controversy
On January 12, 2012, Wilson claimed on Fox News that "We found out that there were over 900 people who died and then subsequently voted. That number could be even higher than that." The Washington Post investigated this and similar claims, finding that the "State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) conducted an extensive probe, which was completed May 11, 2012. But the final report was just made public this month after a 13-month review by Wilson’s office" and concluding that Wilson "hyped these charges into certified "facts", even before any real investigation had taken place. Indeed, the minuscule percentage of alleged dead votes, out of the number cast, should have urged caution. Instead, he went straight to the television camerasâ€"and then his office for months bottled up the report that revealed not a single claim was true." The Washington Post awarded Wilson's claim "Four Pinocchios."
Threatened Litigation against the Obama-era DACA policy
In July 2017, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton led a group of Republican Attorneys General from nine other states, including Wilson, plus Idaho Governor Butch Otter, in threatening that they would litigate against the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy that had been put into place by President Barack Obama. Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery, III subsequently reversed his position and withdrew his participation from the proposed suit on August 31st. Slatery went further to urge passage of the DREAM Act. The other Attorneys General who joined in making the threats against Trump included Steve Marshall of Alabama, Leslie Rutledge of Arkansas, Lawrence Wasden of Idaho, Derek Schmidt of Kansas, Jeff Landry of Louisiana, Doug Peterson of Nebraska, and Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia.
Tenure as Attorney General of South Carolina
During his time as South Carolina Attorney General, Wilson has been active in numerous policies, including stopping the opioid epidemic, combatting human trafficking, and pushing back on federal overreach. In October 2014, Wilson asked the Supreme Court of South Carolina to intervene to stop same-sex marriage licenses from being issued in South Carolina after the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling striking down state bans on same-sex marriage. The 4th Circuit has jurisdiction over South Carolina.
Personal life
Wilson and his wife, Jennifer, have two children.
Military service
Wilson joined the South Carolina National Guard in 1996, and has received the Combat Action Badge for service in Iraq.
Electoral history
References
External links
- South Carolina Attorney General official page
- Alan Wilson for Attorney General campaign site