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Longtime Missouri Lawmaker Chuck Graham Dies

AdminMay 21, 2020
Chuck Graham
State Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, checks an on-line newspaper Wednesday, April 20, 2005, in Jefferson City, Mo. Graham said he is likely to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Talent, who has co-sponsored legislation to ban a type of stem cell research known as therapeutic cloning. Graham, paralyzed from a car accident when he was a teenager, has helped lead the effort against similar legislation in Missouri. (AP Photo/Kelley McCall)

Longtime Missouri Lawmaker Chuck Graham Dies

A former Missouri state senator and representative who championed disability rights has died, after suffering an apparent heart attack.

Former Columbia State Senator Chuck Graham died overnight yesterday at the age of 55, according to his wife, Kate. She posted on Facebook that he died at home, after suffering what’s believed to be a massive heart attack.

Graham served 12 years in the Missouri Legislature: eight in the House and four in the Senate. He served from 1997 until 2009.

The top issue that Graham championed in both chambers was disability rights. Graham, who used a wheelchair, emphasized the importance of job opportunities for disabled residents in his district, and across the state.

Graham also successfully led the bipartisan 2001 legislative effort to obtain money for construction for a new Mizzou basketball arena in Columbia.

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AdminMay 21, 2020
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