Edward A. Maull, an educator, military serviceman and two-term state legislator, is dead at age 74.

He died at Baptist Medical Center in Montgomery, according to a hospital spokeswoman. The cause of death was not disclosed, though Maull had suffered from diabetes for much of his adult life.

“I am shocked and saddened by the news that Ed Maull has passed,” said Gov. Don Siegelman. “He was a devoted public servant who supported the causes of children, senior citizens and public education.”

Maull, elected in 1994 as the Alabama State House Representative for District 67, which includes most of Dallas County, was recently defeated in his bid for a third term in that seat.

“Ed Maull was someone to whom I looked for support on the issues of well-being for the people of Alabama,” Siegelman said. “He will be missed by his community and his friends in the state.”

Maull’s final year of service in the Legislature was marred by two arrests. He was found guilty of menacing for threatening his cousin in November and was fined $200. In April, he was charged with harassment.

Though Maull received just 6 percent of the vote in his final run for state office, many in Selma remember the former educator as someone who tried to make a difference, both in Selma and Montgomery.

“He was a great supporter of education and never failed to give of his time and resources to Selma City Schools,” said Dr. James Carter, superintendent of the city school system. “He was a friend to our children and his contributions will live on in our classrooms.”

Dallas County School Superintendent Wayne May echoed those sentiments.

“Ed Maull was truly a friend of Dallas County Schools,” May said. “We appreciated his service and our prayers are with his family.”

Maull is survived by a daughter, Francesca, and a grandson, Frank James.

Selma Mayor James Perkins Jr. said he did not know Maull’s illness was life-threatening and expressed surprise at his death.

“On behalf of the City of Selma, I express our sincere condolence to the family and close friends of Representative Maull,” Perkins said. “Our prayer is that you find comfort and peace knowing that God is in control.”

Dallas County Probate Judge Johnny Jones said Maull “was always available to help the county with any legislative matters.”

Jean Martin, a Selma City Councilwoman, considered Maull a “positive and gentle man.”

“He toughed it out in the Legislature, and I think he made a difference,” Martin said.

Though politicians knew him best for his work in Montgomery, others in Selma say they respected Maull for his honesty.

“That’s what I always liked about him,” said Harold Speir, a Selma businessman. “He was honest and pleasant.”

Speir, along with Ben Beers, was among the first to push Maull to run for elected office.

“I didn’t ask for anything in return from him. The only thing I would ask for was a level playing field,” Speir said. “I want [politicians] to let us operate in business.”

According to Speir, that’s exactly what Maull did during his eight years in Montgomery.

“He’s the kind of person we need in Montgomery,” said Beers, who classified Maull as a “fine” person. “He had strong views about things.”

In the last election, Speir and Beers went to Maull and asked that he not run again.

“Actually [Beers’] daughter expressed concern about Mr. Maull driving to Montgomery every day,” Speir said. “All of us, pretty much with tears in our eyes, told him it was time to sit on the sidelines. But he wasn’t a quitter.”

Speir said he wished Maull could have gone out on top, adding, “Sometimes I wonder why you can’t get out gracefully.”

Maull, who made an unsuccessful bid for mayor in 2000, was born Oct. 5, 1927, and received a bachelor’s of science degree, with honors, from Alabama State University. He was an Air Force Master Sergeant and served in Germany, Korea and the Philippines. He was also a member of Brown Chapel AME Church.

Lewis Brothers Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements, which have not been released yet.