was the youngest judge in Texas. Earle was elected to the Texas House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1972, serving until 1976. He was elected district attorney of Travis County in 1976 and served until 2008. He faced opponents only twice during his unprecedented tenure. Earle was married to his second wife, Twila Hugley Earle, for nearly three decades. With his first wife, Barbara Ann Leach Earle, he had two children, Elisabeth Ashlea Earle and Charles Jason Earle. He also had one stepdaughter, Nikki Leigh Rowling, and four grandchildren; Alexandra Clare Leissner, Avery Elise Leissner, Adelaide Clara Earle, and Elias Alistair Earle. Career as the District Attorney The Travis County District Attorney's office investigates and prosecutes crimes related to the operation of the Texas state government. Earle was elected as a Democrat in the city of Austin. He was, and his successor now is, the only Democrat with statewide prosecutorial authority. During his tenure, Earle prosecuted a variety of elected officials from both sides of the aisle, often dismissing accusations of partisanship by pointing out that prosecutions tend to focus on officials in power. He prosecuted Texas Attorney General Jim Mattox, a Democrat; United States Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, a Republican; and - in his most high-profile case - United States House Majority Leader, Congressman Tom Delay, a Republican. Mattox was acquitted by a jury, Hutchison's case was dismissed, and DeLay was found guilty of money laundering, but his case was later overturned on appeal by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. While his high-profile prosecutions of elected officials garnered the most press attention, it was Earle's work in criminal justice reform that was his primary focus. He was an early champion of reforms that, in his words, were “engaging the community in its own protection.” Earle's innovations focused on crime prevention, alternative sentencing, victim advocacy, and the reintegration of former offenders into society. He spoke nationally on this work, and engaged in criminal justice reform efforts until his death. In late 2007, Earle announced that he would not seek reelection to his post. His departure precipitated a race to fill his seat. Four Democrats, all employees of his office, ran for the seat. In the primary election held on March 4, 2008, no candidate received 50 percent of the vote. A runoff election was held between the top two finishers, and Rosemary Lehmberg – whom Earle had endorsed