Paul Darnall
Written By Justin D. Lamb
James Paul Marion Darnall (simply known as Paul), the oldest child of Sheriff Joe Darnall and Flora Mae Mathis, was born on November 17, 1903 on the family farm on Sid Darnall Road. He attended the country schools of the county until his family moved to Benton in 1908. He later graduated from Bowling Green Business College around 1921. Darnall returned to the family farm after graduation and later worked as railroad station agent in Dexter, just across the Marshall County line in Calloway County.
Darnall married Clara Barton Copeland, the daughter of Amos and Jamie Jones Copeland, on August 12, 1926, shortly after her graduation from Hardin High School. The couple had two children, Paul Graves Darnall and Joe Barton Darnall. With jobs very scarce in western Kentucky because of the Great Depression, Darnall moved his family north to Detroit, Michigan where he went to work in the factories. Darnall had returned home by 1933 and followed his father’s footsteps into politics and declared his candidacy for Tax Commissioner where he was elected over five other candidates. He was re-elected in 1937 with no opposition.
As Darnall’s political star began to rise, he sought to unseat incumbent County Clerk Elwood Gordon in the 1941 Democratic Primary. After a long heated and often negative campaign, Darnall defeated Gordon and three other opponents by an overwhelming margin.
Darnall chose not to seek re-election in 1945, but instead became a partner in the Morgan-Trevathan Insurance Agency. Shortly after, he became assistant cashier for the Bank of Benton and quickly moved up the ranks at the Bank of Benton having been named Executive Vice President (now Chief Executive Officer) in 1952. During his tenure, the bank (which was then located in what is now the John Lovett building which houses the Johnson & Mathis Law Firm on the west side of the court square) underwent extensive renovations.
Darnall was very active in the community throughout his career. He was member of the Lion’s Club, a Mason, and was chairman of the Marshall County chapter of the Red Cross. He was an active member of the Benton Methodist Church. Sadly, Paul Darnall suddenly passed away of a heart attack at the age of 57 on August 6, 1960. He was laid to rest in the Benton Cemetery.