Watkins M. Abbitt | |
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 4th district | |
| In office February 17, 1948 – January 3, 1973 | |
| Preceded by | Patrick H. Drewry |
| Succeeded by | Robert Daniel |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Watkins Moorman Abbitt (1908-05-21)May 21, 1908 Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | July 13, 1998(1998-07-13) (aged 90) Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S. |
| Resting place | Appomattox, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Corinne Hancock (d. 1989) Mary Ann Schmidt |
| Children | Watkins Abbitt Jr., Anne Abbitt Kerr, Corinne Abbitt Hynes |
| Alma mater | University of Richmond (LLB) |
| Profession | Lawyer, Banker, Politician |
Watkins "Wat" Moorman Abbitt (May 21, 1908 – July 13, 1998) was anAmerican politician and lawyer. He was a member of theUnited States House of Representatives fromVirginia from February 17, 1948 to January 3, 1973. He was a top lieutenant within theByrd Organization, the political machine named for its leader, U.S. SenatorHarry F. Byrd.
Abbitt was born inLynchburg, Virginia to George Francis Abbitt and Otway C. Moorman Abbitt. He graduated from Appomattox Agricultural High School inAppomattox, Virginia in 1925. He earned anLL.B. from theUniversity of Richmond in 1931 and began the practice of law in Appomattox.[1] He married Corinne Hancock on March 20, 1937, and they had a son and two daughters who survived infancy.
Upon admission to the Virginia bar, Abbitt had a private legal practice, and was also a bank executive. In 1931 he was electedCommonwealth's attorney forAppomattox County and served from 1932 to 1948. He also was elected member of the Virginia Constitutional Convention in 1945.[2]
When U.S. RepresentativePatrick H. Drewry died in office, Abbit won the special election to fill the vacancy. ADemocrat, Abbitt won a full term later that year and 11 more times after that (February 17, 1948 – January 3, 1973).[3] He was a member of the agriculture committee, and supported farm subsidies as well as fiscal conservatism and opposed increased federal intervention in state affairs. Abbitt became known for his opposition to school desegregation in the 1950s, supportingMassive Resistance alongside otherByrd Democrats. For instance, he denouncedBrown v. Board of Education as "the naked and arrogant declaration of nine men."[4] Abbitt signed theSouthern Manifesto[5] in 1956. Abbitt voted against theCivil Rights Acts of 1957,[6] theCivil Rights Acts of 1960,[7] theCivil Rights Acts of 1964,[8] and theCivil Rights Acts of 1968[9] as well as the24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution[10] and theVoting Rights Act of 1965.[11] He was a delegate to the1964 Democratic National Convention, and chairman of the state Democratic party from 1964-1970.
Abbitt announced his retirement after being redistricted into the same congressional district as fellow DemocratDan Daniel, and RepublicanRobert Daniel won the seat in a 5-candidate general election field, becoming the first Republican to represent Southside Virginia in the century.[12]
Having long since recanted his segregationist views, Abbitt endorsedL. Douglas Wilder, who became Virginia's first black governor in 1989. According to his son, state delegateWatkins Abbitt Jr., he and his sisters played a role in his father's change of heart. Watkins Jr. noted that in his later years, his father always worked for free for any black church that needed legal services, and a black minister spoke at the funeral.[4]
Abbitt was married twice. His first wife of 52 years, Corinne, died in 1989 and Abbitt later married Mary Ann Schmidt who survived him when he died fromleukemia inLynchburg, Virginia on July 13, 1998. He maintained an active law practice as late as a week before his death.[4] A park inAppomattox, Virginia is named for him.
His son,Watkins Abbitt Jr.,[13] served as a member of theVirginia House of Delegates from 1986 to 2012.[14]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's 4th congressional district 1948–1973 | Succeeded by |
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