[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Pages 23527-23528]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 TRIBUTE IN HONOR OF MacDONALD GALLION

 Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, today I pay tribute to MacDonald 
Gallion, who passed away on Saturday, August 11, 2007. For 13 years, 
MacDonald Gallion served as Alabama's attorney general. He was a 
personal friend of mine and along with the entire State of Alabama, I 
mourn his passing.
  Born in Montgomery and raised in Birmingham, MacDonald Gallion moved 
to Tuscaloosa in the 1930s to attend the University of Alabama. While 
at the university, MacDonald Gallion studied law and subsequently 
received his bachelor of law degree in 1937. That same year, he 
returned to Birmingham where he began his law practice.

[[Page 23528]]

  In 1941, following the start of World War II, MacDonald Gallion took 
a leave of absence from his law practice to enlist in the U.S. Marine 
Corps. He served his country with great valor, witnessing extreme 
combat in the South Pacific. While serving abroad, he was wounded at 
Saipan and was later awarded a Purple Heart. He received several other 
honors for courage and returned to the United States as first 
lieutenant.
  Upon his return from war, MacDonald Gallion relocated to Montgomery 
to serve as assistant attorney general for the State of Alabama. 
However, after several years, he resigned to return to private 
practice.
  Later, MacDonald Gallion would again be called to serve his State. He 
was appointed special counsel to Governor Gordon Persons during the 
historic Phenix City Trials and was asked in 1955 to serve as chief 
assistant attorney general to Attorney General John M. Patterson. In 
1958, MacDonald Gallion was elected to serve as attorney general for 
the State of Alabama. He would again be elected to this position in 
1966.
  MacDonald Gallion served two terms as Alabama's attorney general. 
During his tenure, MacDonald Gallion led successful litigation in 
several significant cases including one that established Alabama's 
offshore oil and gas rights. This historic ruling would later pave the 
way for the State's multimillion-dollar trust fund. He also led the 
successful litigation against loansharks. At the time, this was the 
largest litigation of its kind in the United States.
  Active in his community, MacDonald Gallion was a member of many civic 
organizations and legal associations. He held the position of assistant 
editor at the Alabama Lawyer and was listed among the ``Who's Who in 
America.'' He was instrumental in the founding of the Alabama District 
Attorney's Association. For his many accomplishments and contributions 
to Alabama, MacDonald Gallion was inducted into the Alabama Senior 
Citizens Hall of Fame.
  MacDonald Gallion will be missed by his son Thomas Travis Gallion 
III, and his daughter Mallory Gallion Bear. He will be remembered for 
his dedication and decades of service to the State of Alabama. I ask 
the entire Senate to join me in recognition of the life of MacDonald 
Gallion.

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