Growing up in Lexington, Attorney General-Elect Alan Wilson kept two photos on his bedside table — one of his biological father, an Army captain who died in a helicopter crash at Fort Bragg when Wilson was 2, and one of his adopted father, U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson.
“My dad (Joe Wilson) put both photos there,” said Alan Wilson, of his stepfather who married Alan’s mother and adopted the 4-year-old Alan. “He wanted me to remember my first father and honor him.”
In January, Alan Wilson, 37, hopes to pay homage to both of his father heroes when he’s sworn in as South Carolina’s top prosecutor.
It is the first elected office he has ever held.
He knows most South Carolinians know far more about his second father, the congressman, than him .
He’s hoping to change that.
“People love my dad and I love him too,” he said. “But I’m glad they’re getting to know me and giving me a chance.”
Wilson beat Democrat Matthew Richardson for the job Nov. 2 and will now replace outgoing Attorney General Henry McMaster. McMaster unsuccessfully ran for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.
Wilson will oversee a staff of 190, including 52 criminal attorneys and 16 civil attorneys. The office targets various crimes including criminal domestic violence and Internet sexual offenses . The attorney general also chooses which actions to join or take to federal court to defend the state’s interests, such as a current lawsuit challenging the nation’s new federal health care law.
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