Chuck Graham

Charles Graham (February 24, 1965 – May 19, 2020) was an American politician in the Democratic Party who represented the 19th Senate District in the Missouri General Assembly, which includes the city of Columbia, Missouri, where he lived.

For the member of the North Carolina General Assembly, see Charles Graham (American politician).

Chuck Graham
Member of the Missouri Senate
from the 19th district
In office
January 2005 – January 2009
Preceded byKen Jacob[1]
Succeeded byKurt Schaefer
Member of the Missouri House of Representatives
from the 24th district
In office
January 1997 – January 2005
Preceded byJim Pauley[2]
Succeeded byEd Robb[3]
Personal details
Born(1965-02-24)February 24, 1965
St. Louis, Missouri, United States
DiedMay 19, 2020(2020-05-19) (aged 55)
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materUniversity of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (BS)

Graham was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1987 with a B.S. in journalism.[4]

He was first elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 1996, and served there through 2005. He was first elected to the Missouri State Senate in 2004, and served as the party's Assistant Minority Floor Leader. He had been mentioned as a possible candidate in the 2006 United States Senate election, but dropped out in support of then-State Auditor Claire McCaskill.

He served on the following committees:

  • Education
  • Gubernatorial Appointments
  • Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence
  • Pensions, Veterans' Affairs and General Laws

In 1998, Graham proposed a bill which would have permitted death row prisoners awaiting execution to donate organs (kidneys or bone marrow) in exchange for a commutation of their death sentence.[5][6][7] He was a strong supporter of stem-cell research.

On October 20, 2007, Graham was arrested by the Columbia Police Department on suspicion of driving while intoxicated after rear-ending a vehicle near his home in Southwest Columbia. His license was subsequently suspended.[8] On January 10, 2008, his license was reinstated and he was allowed to drive again after one month, despite the state mandated period of suspension for refusing the chemical blood alcohol test being one year.[9][10]

Graham was a paraplegic after he had an automobile accident at 16. He received national attention during a 2008 televised campaign rally in Columbia. The vice presidential nominee Joe Biden asked him to stand up and was apparently unaware of his paralysis. When Biden realized that Graham could not stand up, he asked for the crowd to stand up for him.[11]

On November 4, 2008, Graham lost his seat after being defeated in the general election by Republican Kurt Schaefer. After the 2008 election, he announced that he had no future plans to run for public office.

Graham died on May 19, 2020, at 55.[12]

References
  • Official Manual, State of Missouri, 2005-2006. Jefferson City, MO: Secretary of State.
  1. https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=178660
  2. https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=254268
  3. https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=25626
  4. Votesmart.com.-Charles "Chunk" Graham
  5. Strait, Jason (March 16, 1998). "Oregon Inmate Donation Proposed". The Ledger. Lakeland, Florida. Associated Press (AP). p. A10. Retrieved November 9, 2009.
  6. Lowell, Jeffrey A. (April 9, 1998). "Proposed organ donation by death row inmates medically risky, coerced and immoral, expert says". Archived from the original on May 11, 2009. Retrieved November 9, 2009.
  7. Meslin, Eric M. "Death Row Organ Donation". Indiana University. Retrieved November 9, 2009.
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 29, 2008. Retrieved September 12, 2008.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. "columbiatribune.com".
  11. jimmydean31432 (September 9, 2008). "Biden Gaffe: Asks a Gentleman in a Wheelchair to Stand Up". Retrieved October 31, 2017 – via YouTube.
  12. Chuck Graham, former state senator, dies at 55
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