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Former attorney for Beaufort County Government, David Clayton Francisco, wonders what the new year will bring especially since it is his first year of retirement. 

Francisco, 80, of Washington, retired last month as the county’s attorney and he retired from his practice in Washington. He said he was “ready” and considering other things he could do like spending time with family, traveling, and working around his house. 

Francisco was an attorney for 50 years. Thirty-seven of those years were spent at Rodman, Holscher, Francisco and Peck, P.A. in Washington (now known as Holscher, Edwards and Hill, P.A.). A couple of years later, including one working with John B. Tate III in Chocowinity, he opened a private practice in Washington where his concentration was on estate administration, wills, trusts, corporations and general legal advice. In 2014, he became the county’s attorney while operating his own practice. Francisco replaced former county attorney Billy Mayo. 

He became interested in law while serving in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He worked in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps as a courts, boards and claims officer in the 8th Infantry Division for three years from 1969-1972. In 1975, he graduated from Wake Forest University with a Juris Doctorate. From there, he took a job in Washington with Rodman and Holscher in the 1970s and stayed in the area with his wife Barbara. 

The biggest piece of advice he can give to the person who will replace him is to study – study all they can about Beaufort County. Background knowledge, he said, is key to being a successful county attorney.