Gatewood Galbraith Dies at 64
Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2012 11:40 am
http://www.lex18.com/news/gatewood-galb ... ies-at-64/
Gatewood Galbraith, a perennial candidate for governor of Kentucky and prominent lawyer based in Lexington, has died, according to the Fayette County coroner. He was 64.
So far, Galbraith's official cause of death has not been released. The coroner said he had been dealing with congestion, and died in his sleep.
Galbraith was born on January 23, 1947 in Carlisle, Kentucky. He graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1974 and from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1977. Galbraith's law practice in Lexington focused on criminal law and personal injury civil actions.
Galbraith ran for various offices in Kentucky, including commissioner of agriculture and attorney general, and ran for governor five times - as a Democrat in 1991 and 1995, 2007, and as a Reform Party candidate in 1999 and as an independent in 2011. In 2011, Galbraith received 74,860 votes (8.99%). On his 2011 campaign website, Galbraith said he was "totally independent. I'm an American and I'm a free man. And that's my dogma."
Galbraith was a vocal advocate of the legalization of marijuana. In a candidate debate on Kentucky Educational Television on May 14, 2007, Galbraith noted that fifteen states have legalized cannabis; all did so after Galbraith first began his advocacy on that issue as a candidate for statewide office.
Galbraith pitched his gubernatorial campaigns to young voters. In particular, he proposed a freeze on college tuition, a $5,000 grant to high school graduates for college or technical school, and legalization of marijuana for medical purposes. He raised $100,000 of his $500,000 budget and was endorsed by the United Mine Workers, the first time the union has backed an independent.