Tom Bliley | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait,c. 1999 | |
| Chair of theHouse Energy and Commerce Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2001 | |
| Preceded by | John Dingell |
| Succeeded by | Billy Tauzin |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia | |
| In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 2001 | |
| Preceded by | David E. Satterfield III |
| Succeeded by | Eric Cantor |
| Constituency | 3rd district (1981–1993) 7th district (1993–2001) |
| 69thMayor of Richmond | |
| In office July 1, 1970 – March 7, 1977 | |
| Preceded by | Phil Bagley |
| Succeeded by | Henry L. Marsh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thomas Jerome Bliley Jr. (1932-01-28)January 28, 1932 |
| Died | November 16, 2023(2023-11-16) (aged 91) Henrico County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic (before 1980) Republican (1980–2023) |
| Spouse | Mary Kelley |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Georgetown University (BA) |
Bliley speaks in support of the Philanthropy Protection Act of 1995 Recorded November 28, 1995 | |
Thomas Jerome Bliley Jr. (January 28, 1932 – November 16, 2023) was an American businessman, Navy veteran, and politician who served as aU.S. Representative from the commonwealth ofVirginia.[1] From 1981 to 2001, he served ten consecutive terms in Congress, including six years as chairman of the powerfulHouse Energy and Commerce Committee.
Thomas Jerome Bliley Jr. was born inChesterfield County, Virginia, on January 28, 1932, the son of Carolyn and Thomas J. Bliley.[2] He attended Catholic schools and graduated in 1948 at the age of 16 fromBenedictine High School.
In 1952, Bliley earned aB.A. in Political Science fromGeorgetown University inWashington, D.C. He subsequently served as a lieutenant in theU.S. Navy from 1952 to 1955. He worked as afuneral director for Joseph W. Bliley Co. Funeral Home, a family business, eventually serving as President.[3]
In 1968, Bliley was elected vice-mayor ofRichmond, Virginia.[4] He held that post until 1970, when he successfully ran for mayor, a position he held until 1977.[4] Bliley grew up as a conservativeByrd Democrat, but became a Republican after his term as mayor.
In 1980, Bliley won the Republican nomination forCongress representing Virginia's 3rd congressional district after eight-term incumbentDavid Satterfield announced his retirement.[5] He won with 52 percent of the vote, becoming the first Republican to win an undisputed victory in the district since theReconstruction Era. (In 1890, the House awarded RepublicanEdmund Waddill the seat after a disputed election.)
The 3rd, however, had been trending Republican for some time at the national level.[6] It had been one of the first areas of Virginia where the old-line Byrd Democrats started splitting their tickets and voting Republican in presidential elections. As a result, it had not supported a Democrat for president since 1948, and had actually come close to electing a Republican twice in the 1960s, with the Democrats only surviving by less than 1,000 votes. However, conservative Democrats continued to hold most local offices, as well as most of the district's seats in theGeneral Assembly, well into the 1980s.
Bliley never faced another contest anywhere near as close as his first one. He was reelected five times from the 3rd with little difficulty, only facing an independent in 1984 and running completely unopposed in 1988. After the 1990census, the Democratic-controlledVirginia General Assembly began the process ofredistricting the state. It was faced with aJustice Department order to create a majority-black district in order to comply with theVoting Rights Act. The legislature responded by shifting most of Richmond, which by this time had a black majority, into a new, majority-black 3rd district. Bliley's district was renumbered the 7th, and retained most of the whiter and wealthier sections of Richmond, along with several suburbs. Bliley now represented one of the most Republican districts in Virginia and the South, and he was handily reelected to four more terms, retiring in January 2001. Indeed, at the time the 7th was so heavily Republican that after it was redrawn in 1992, Bliley only faced a Democrat once, in 1996.
In 1995, when the Republican Party gained control ofCongress,[7] Bliley was elected Chairman of theHouse Commerce Committee, a position he held for six years. He was a principal author of several important laws including theTelecommunications Act of 1996, theFood and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997, thePrivate Securities Litigation Reform Act, and theFinancial Services Modernization Act of 1999, also known as the "Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act".
Bliley was a leader in the successful effort to create a public referendum to allow for the direct election of Richmond’s mayor.[8]
Bliley, who was a practicingRoman Catholic, married Mary Virginia Kelley. The marriage produced two children.
Bliley died inHenrico, Virginia, on November 16, 2023, at age 91.[3][9]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Phil Bagley | Mayor of Richmond 1970–1977 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's 3rd congressional district 1981–1993 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's 7th congressional district 1993–2001 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Commerce Committee 1995–2001 | Succeeded by |
| Commerce and Manufactures (1795–1819) |  | |
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| Commerce (1819–1893) | ||
| Interstate and Foreign Commerce (1893–1981) | ||
| Energy and Commerce (1981–present) | ||
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
