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Wilbur Clarence "Dan" Daniel (May 12, 1914 – January 23, 1988) was a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia, serving ten terms from 1969 until his death from a heart attack in Charlottesville in 1988.
Dan Daniel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 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 (aged 73) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| 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 | 1 |
| Education | Dan River Textile School |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Awards |  French Order of Merit Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity, 1st Class |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
He previously served as the National Commander of The American Legion from 1956 to 1957.
Life
editDaniel was born in Chatham, Virginia on May 12, 1914. He 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.
Dan River Mills
editFrom 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.
American Legion
editHe was elected commander of The American Legion's Department of Virginia in 1951, and National Commander in 1956.
Political career
editHe 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 in January 1988. He was a conservative Democrat, receiving a score of 89% from the American Conservative Union.[1]
Death
editHe died at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, on January 23, 1988, from an aortic dissection.[2] He was interred in Highland Burial Park in Danville, Virginia.
Electoral history
edit- 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
edit
References
edit- ^ http://ratings.conservative.org/people/D000038 [bare URL]
- ^ "Dan Daniel, Virginia Congressman, is Dead at 73". New York Times. January 24, 1988.
Further reading
edit- "Welcome to our 39th National Convention". American Legion 39th National Convention: official program. American Legion. 1957. p. 3. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
- "The American Legion Magazine [Volume 61, No. 4 (October 1956)]". American Legion Magazine. Vol. 61, no. 4. American Legion. October 1956. pp. 30, 36, 39. Retrieved September 25, 2016.