William G. Sharp, 75, Former Clerk of Los Angeles County

William G. Sharp, Los Angeles county clerk from 1961 until his retirement in 1973, died Saturday of apparent heart failure. He was 75, and died at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange.

A graduate of UC Berkeley, Sharp joined the county as a trainee in 1937 and after Army Air Corps service in World War II, worked his way through the ranks. He became chief deputy clerk, and topped five applicants for the clerk’s position in a competitive examination in December, 1961. The county clerk has responsibility for all court records, some dating before the time California joined the union in 1850.

In 1971, Sharp’s office was criticized by the County Grand Jury for its supposed misplacing of evidence in the 1968 assassination of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. Sharp denied the accusation, pointing out that all the relevant evidence was in place.

During Sharp’s tenure, the clerk’s office was credited with improvements in keeping up with an expanding court case load. He was named County Clerk of the Year in 1972 by the National Assn. of County Recorders and Clerks.

Survivors include his wife, Marguerite, and two daughters. Services are scheduled Thursday at 2 p.m. at the United Methodist Church of Yorba Linda.