Bill Whitehurst | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's2nd district | |
| In office January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1987 | |
| Preceded by | Porter Hardy Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Owen B. Pickett |
| Personal details | |
| Born | George William Whitehurst (1925-03-12)March 12, 1925 (age 100) Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Washington and Lee University (BA) University of Virginia (MA) West Virginia University (PhD) |
George William Whitehurst (born March 12, 1925) is an American retired politician, journalist and academic fromVirginia who served as a member of theUnited States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1987. He began his career as a professor at the Norfolk campus of theCollege of William & Mary, which becameOld Dominion University in 1962 and he served as dean of students from 1963 to 1968. Upon retiring from politics, he returned to what was by then Old Dominion University, where he held the chair of Kaufman Lecturer in Public Affairs until he retired.[1] He is a member of theRepublican Party.
George William Whitehurst was born inNorfolk, Virginia on March 12, 1925 to Calvert Stanhope Whitehurst and the former Laura Virginia Tomlinson. Graduating fromMatthew Fontaine Maury High School in 1942, he served in theUnited States Navy as an aviation radioman in the Pacific Theater, from 1943 to 1946.[2] He married Jennette Seymour Franks on August 24, 1946 inPlymouth, Massachusetts.[3] Together, they had one daughter and one son. She died on March 6, 2009.
Whitehurst received his bachelor's degree in history fromWashington and Lee University in 1950, and his master's degree, also in history, from theUniversity of Virginia in 1951. In 1962, Whitehurst received hisDoctor of Philosophy in American Diplomatic History fromWest Virginia University.[1] While attendingWashington and Lee University, he joined theDelta Upsilon fraternity. He later served on the board of directors forDelta Upsilon fraternity. He was an active faculty member at the Norfolk Division of William & Mary in 1950, and was on hand when the Division became an autonomous four-year institution,Old Dominion University, in 1962. He stepped down in 1968 to run for Congress.[2]
Whitehurst was elected to Congress in 1968 as a Republican from a district based in theHampton Roads area. He was the first Republican to represent that part of Virginia since theGreat Depression,[4] and only the second Republican elected to a full term from that district in the 20th century. In 1971, Whitehurst voted in favor of theEqual Employment Opportunity Act of 1972.[5] Whitehurst considered himself a "moderate conservative", voting in favor of theEqual Rights Amendment and a 1970Voting Rights Act extension while being opposed to abortion.[6]
Whitehurst was re-elected eight more times without serious difficulty. In 1974, for instance, even as Republicans were swept out in the face of voter anger over Watergate, Whitehurst still won comfortably with almost 60 percent of the vote. The Democrats didn't even put up a candidate from 1978 to 1984, and on three of those occasions Whitehurst was completely unopposed. In 1986, Whitehurst stated his support of naturalization ofFilipinos who were serving in theUnited States Navy.[7] He retired in 1987 after declining to run for a tenth term.
For most of his tenure in Congress, he served on theUnited States House Committee on Armed Services. He also served on theUnited States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and theUnited States House Committee on Ethics.
After his service in theUnited States Congress, Whitehurst returned as a faculty member at Old Dominion University in 1987, and retired in May 2020.[2][8]
He also served for many years as an analyst forWTKR in Norfolk.[2]
On October 6, 2016, Whitehurst, along with other former Republican members of theUnited States Congress, was co-signator of a letter opposingDonald Trump's candidacy for the office of president.[9] Although the letter did not officially endorseHillary Clinton or any other candidate, it did state that "our party's nominee this year is a man who makes a mockery of the principles and values we have cherished and which we sought to represent in Congress."[10]
On August 24, 2020, Whitehurst was one of 24 former Republican lawmakers to endorse Democratic nomineeJoe Biden on the opening day of theRepublican National Convention.[11]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | G. William Whitehurst (Incumbent) | 97,319 | 89.84% | |
| Independent | Kenneth P. Morrison | 11,003 | 10.16% | |
| Write-in | 6 | 0.01% | ||
| Total votes | 108,328 | 100% | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | G. William Whitehurst (Incumbent) | 78,108 | 99.88% | |
| Write-in | 97 | 0.12% | ||
| Total votes | 78,205 | 100% | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | G. William Whitehurst (Incumbent) | 136,632 | 99.81% | |
| Write-in | 256 | 0.19% | ||
| Total votes | 136,888 | 100% | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's 2nd congressional district 1969–1987 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
