Retired Maine District Court Judge Paul A. MacDonald, 94, of Woolwich, passed away April 27 at his home. He was born in Jefferson, May 5, 1911, the eldest son of John Marshall MacDonald and Kate MacMillan MacDonald. He graduated from Cony High School in Augusta, Class of 1932. During those years, MacDonald drove a 1924 Model-T Ford to school everyday. In 1937, he graduated from Suffolk University Law School in Boston, Mass. Upon moving to his native state of Maine in 1941, MacDonald practiced law. In 1944, he was elected clerk of the Committee of Legal Affairs of the Maine Legislature and was appointed Deputy Secretary of State. He served in that position until 1960, when MacDonald was elected Secretary of State. A lifelong Republican, MacDonald was regarded by members of both his party and Democrats for his fair and impartial rulings on election law. One of the principal functions of the Secretary of State’s office, then and now, is supervising and running Maine’s primary and general elections. Following the defeat of many Republicans up and down the election ballot of November 1964, GOP Governor John H. Reed appointed his "lame-duck" Secretary of State as the first judge of the newly created 6th District Court. MacDonald served two seven-year terms as resident judge, retired in 1978, then completed 14 more years as an active retired judge. He is survived by his daughter, Faith Clark of Rome, N.Y.; son, Maj. Glenn B. MacDonald, USAR Ret. of Chandler, Ariz.; stepdaughter, Lydia Grant of Baton Rouge, La.; stepson, Thomas Gillette of Houston, Tex.; brother, John Robert MacDonald of Augusta; sister, Ruth Small of Farmingdale; three grandchildren, Kimberly Pruitt of Rome, N.Y., Wesley Clark of Rome, N.Y., and Theodore Clark Jr. of Glen Allen, Va; five great grandchildren; many step grandchildren and step great grandchildren. Predeceased is his wife Lydia (Baxter) MacDonald; first wife, Marian MacDonald (Graffam); and daughter, Joyce Reed. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Kno-Wal-Lin Home Care & Hospice, 170 Pleasant St., Rockland, ME 04841. Visiting hours 6-8 p.m., Thurs., May 4 at David E. Desmond & Son Funeral Home, 638 High St., Bath. At Judge MacDonald’s request, funeral services will be private. Judge MacDonald will be cremated and the ashes scattered upon his garden in Woolwich, of which he was very proud. Arrangements are by David E. Desmond & Son Funeral Home, Bath.
