Dan Daniel (politician)
Dan Daniel | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 5th district | |
In office January 3, 1969 – January 23, 1988 | |
Preceded by | William M. Tuck |
Succeeded by | Lewis F. Payne, Jr. |
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Danville City | |
In office January 13, 1960 – November 25, 1968 | |
Preceded by | C. Stuart Wheatley |
Succeeded by | Calvin W. Fowler |
National Commander of The American Legion | |
In office 1956 – 1957 | |
Preceded by | J. Addington Wagner |
Succeeded by | John S. Gleason, Jr. |
Personal details | |
Born | Wilbur Clarence Daniel May 12, 1914 Chatham, Virginia |
Died | January 23, 1988 Charlottesville, Virginia | (aged 73)
Cause of death | Aortic dissection |
Resting place | Highland Burial Park Danville, Virginia 36°37′58.9″N 79°23′22.9″W / 36.633028°N 79.389694°W |
Nationality | American |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouses | Daisy Fines
(m. 1934–1939)Ruby McGregor
(m. 1939) |
Children | Jimmie Daniel (son) |
Parents |
|
Education | Dan River Textile School |
Occupation | Businessman |
Awards | ![]() ![]() |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch/service | ![]() |
Dan Daniel (born Wilbur Clarence Daniel; May 12, 1914 – January 23, 1988) was a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia, serving from 1969 until his death from a heart attack in Charlottesville in 1988. He previously served as the National Commander of The American Legion from 1956 to 1957.
Life
Born in Chatham, Virginia, Dan Daniel grew up on a tobacco farm in Mecklenburg County. He was educated in Virginia schools, and was a graduate of Dan River Textile School, Danville, Virginia. Danville, on the Dan River, was at the time a center for the tobacco and textile industries. The name of the school references the textile industry, and the town is known for the Dan River textile mill, which was founded in 1883 and closed in 2006. From 1939 to 1968, except for a period of service in the U.S. Navy during World War II era, he was associated with Dan River Mills (present day Dan River, Inc.), the textile industry that operated a mill on the Dan River. He advanced through the ranks of the textile business to become assistant to the chairman of the board at Dan River Mills. He was elected commander of The American Legion's Department of Virginia in 1951, and National Commander in 1956. He was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates from 1959 to 1968, was President of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce in 1968, and was a permanent member of the President's People-to-People Committee (now People to People International). He was elected as a Democrat to the 91st United States Congress and to nine succeeding congresses, serving from January 3, 1969, until his death from a heart attack at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, on January 23, 1988.[1] He was interred in Highland Burial Park in Danville, Virginia.
Electoral history
- 1968; Daniel was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives with 54.59% of the vote, defeating Republican Weldon W. Tuck and Independent Ruth L. Harvey.
- 1970; Daniel was re-elected with 73.03% of the vote, defeating Republican Allen T. St. Clair.
- 1972; Daniel was re-elected unopposed.
- 1974; Daniel was re-elected unopposed.
- 1976; Daniel was re-elected unopposed.
- 1978; Daniel was re-elected unopposed.
- 1980; Daniel was re-elected unopposed.
- 1982; Daniel was re-elected unopposed.
- 1984; Daniel was re-elected unopposed.
- 1986; Daniel was re-elected with 81.54% of the vote, defeating Independent J.F. Cole.
See also
- List of foreign recipients of the National Order of Merit
- List of people from Virginia
- List of United States representatives from Virginia
- List of United States Congress members who died in office (1950–99)
References
- ^ "Dan Daniel, Virginia Congressman, is Dead at 73". New York Times. January 24, 1988.
Further reading
- "American Legion 39th National Convention: official program". American Legion. 1957. p. 3. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
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(help) - "American Legion Magazine". Vol. 61, no. 4. American Legion. October 1956. pp. 30, 36, 39. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
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External links
- Dan Daniel at Encyclopedia Virginia
- Dan Daniel at Find a Grave
- Dan Daniel at The Political Graveyard
- United States Congress. "Dan Daniel (id: D000038)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- 1914 births
- 1988 deaths
- 20th-century American businesspeople
- 20th-century American politicians
- American textile industry businesspeople
- Burials in Virginia
- Businesspeople from Virginia
- Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite
- Deaths from aortic dissection
- Members of the Virginia House of Delegates
- Military personnel from Virginia
- Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia
- National Commanders of the American Legion
- People from Chatham, Virginia
- United States Navy sailors