ST LOUIS— Recently retired Missouri Supreme Court Judge George Draper III has been named to a newly created job of “chief training officer” in the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office, promising to share the experience he gained from serving on the bench and as a prosecutor.

He will start on Oct. 23, with an annual salary of $120,000.

The appointment of Draper is the latest shakeup for a St. Louis prosecutor’s office that only recently emerged from years of controversy under Kim Gardner. She resigned in May and was replaced by Gabe Gore, who announced Draper’s appointment on Tuesday.

Draper will provide legal training to new and veteran prosecutors, Gore said.

Gabe Gore touts his first six weeks as St. Louis prosecutor after taking over for Kim Gardner

“It is a rare honor to have a man of Judge Draper’s impeccable character and vast legal expertise return to his roots in this office to train our team,” Gore told reporters Tuesday. “He will provide our attorneys with an impeccable education that will not only promote excellence while they are in this office, but will also serve them well for the rest of their careers.”

Draper, who earned his law degree from Howard University in Washington, D.C., worked in the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office from 1884 to 1994, when he was appointed associate circuit judge in the 21st Judicial Circuit for St. Louis County. He was appointed circuit judge in 1998, and in 2000, was appointed judge of the Eastern District Missouri Court of Appeals.

In 2011, former Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon appointed Draper to the Missouri Supreme Court.

Of his appointment, Draper said, he is eager to get started.

“I welcome the opportunity to work with prosecutors on Gabe Gore’s team, and share the knowledge I have gained from my years in the courtroom, on both sides of the bench, Draper said. “I am excited to step into a new role as a mentor and help shape the next generation of trial practitioners.”

When Gov. Mike Parson announced in spring 2023 the appointment of Gore as St. Louis circuit attorney, Parson declared that “crime anywhere affects Missourians everywhere, and for too long, dysfunction has plagued the circuit attorney’s office.” Since then, Gore has said he is taking steps, including hiring new attorneys, to make St. Louis safer, and that he wants the prosecutor’s office to be seen as among “the best in the country.”

Gore was sworn in May 30 after Gardner resigned under fire as part of a deal with state legislative leaders to block a proposed takeover of the city prosecutor’s office.

Gardner had come under sharp criticism, including a reprimand by the Missouri Supreme Court, questions by local and state authorities about staff turnover, and a backlog of homicide and other violent crime cases.