CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Former West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Thomas E. McHugh died Tuesday, the court announced in a news release. He was 88.

McHugh was once quoted as saying he “retired twice” from the court, having served two distinct tenures as a justice.

McHugh was first elected to the state Supreme Court of Appeals for a 12-year term as a Democrat in 1980. He was re-elected in 1992 before retiring in 1997 to resume practicing law.

In 2008, then-Chief Justice Elliott E. “Spike” Maynard named McHugh to temporarily replace Justice Joseph P. Albright after he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. Albright died in 2009, and then-Gov. Joe Manchin appointed McHugh to the vacant seat. He left the court in 2013 after being elected in 2010 to serve the remainder of Albright’s term.

In a statement, State Court of Appeals Justice Beth Walker said McHugh was “a model of distinguished service and civility.”

Born in Charleston in 1936, McHugh was a 1958 graduate of West Virginia University. Prior to becoming a Supreme Court justice, McHugh served as a circuit court judge.