|
| Affiliation | Republican |
|
| Name | Richard D. Obenshain |
| Address |
Richmond, Virginia , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
October 31, 1935
|
| Died | August 02, 1978
(42 years)
|
| Contributor | eddy 9_99 |
| Last Modifed | An_62190
May 04, 2023 06:47pm |
| Tags |
|
| Info | Richard D. Obenshain was the son of Samuel S. Obenshain (1904-2000), a professor at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, where he grew up. The elder Obenshain was active in Virginia's Republican Party during the era of the Byrd Organization, the Democratic machine of Harry F. Byrd which dominated Virginia's government from his election as Governor in 1925 until the 1966 Democratic Primary when two powerful Byrd incumbents lost and Byrd Jr. barely won his father's seat.
Richard was graduated from Bridgewater College in Rockingham County, Virginia and was admitted to the Virginia Bar. He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1964, and became Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia in 1972. He is credited with leading a period of growth for his party in Virginia.
A record number of Republicans were elected to seats in the Virginia General Assembly under his leadership, the first such major gains since Reconstruction in the late 19th century following the American Civil War.
In the summer of 1978, Obenshain won his party's nomination to run for the U.S. Senate to replace retiring U.S. Senator William L. Scott. On the night of August 2, the small twin-engine Piper PA34 airplane carrying him home from a campaign appearance crashed in trees while attempting a night-time landing at the Chesterfield County Airport, a general aviation facility near Richmond. Killed along with the 42-year-old candidate were a pilot and a flight instructor.
[Link] |
 | BOOKS |
 |
|
| Title |
Purchase |
Contributor |
|
| Start Date |
End Date |
Type |
Title |
Contributor |
|
| Date |
Category |
Headline |
Article |
Contributor |
|
| INFORMATION LINKS |
|
|
|
