Charles J. Colgan
Charles Joseph Colgan (born September 25, 1926 in Frostburg , Maryland - † January 3, 2017 in Aldie , Virginia ) was an American entrepreneur and politician ( Democratic Party ). From 1976 to 2016 he was a senator in the Virginia Senate , where he represented the 29th district.
education and profession
When Colgan was five years old, his mother died of complications from a miscarriage and shortly afterwards his father died of pneumonia . He and his three siblings were separated and distributed among the relatives. Colgan and his younger brother grew up on their maternal grandparents' farm in Grantsville , though they were badly hit by the Great Depression . After Colgan graduated from high school , he joined the Army Air Corps . He served during World War II , where he was deployed in Italy , and later was a member of the Air Force Reserve. Colgan worked now for twelve years as a pilot in commercial aviation. In 1965 he and 16 shareholders founded Colgan Airways Corporation with its headquarters and main base in Manassas Airport, Virginia. In 1986 the company was sold to President Airlines. After President Airlines collapsed in 1991, Charles J. Colgan and his son Mike Colgan began rebuilding Colgan Air with just one aircraft . In 2007, Pinnacle Airlines Corp. acquired the regional airline . After Pinnacle filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April 2012 , Colgan Air ceased operations on September 5, 2012.
Colgan had been widowed since January 2001. Eight children were the result of the 52-year marriage. He later married again. This marriage lasted eight years until his death. He died of vascular disease in a hospice in Aldie, Virginia in January 2017 .
In 1980 Colgan was inducted into the Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame . In 2016, the newly opened Charles J. Colgan Sr. High School in Dumfries in Prince William County was named after him.
Political career
In the early 1970s, Colgan began working in the public sector. In 1971 he was elected to the Prince William County Board of Supervisors . During his time there, he held the office of chairman for a year. In 1975 he was elected to the Virginia Senate for the first time. Colgan could then decide each Senate election for himself. From 2008 to 2012 he was President Pro Tempore of the Senate. In the 2015 Senate elections, he decided not to run again and left the Senate in January 2016.
Web links
- Charles J. Colgan, longest-serving member of the Virginia Senate, dies at 90 January 3, 2017, The Washington Post
- Entry on the website of the Democratic Senate faction
- Entry on the Virginia Senate website
Individual evidence
- ^ Colgan Air Sold to Memphis-Based Carrier , Jan. 19, 2007, The Washington Post
- ^ Pinnacle Airlines flies into bankruptcy , April 2, 2012, Reuters
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Colgan, Charles J. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Colgan, Charles Joseph (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American politician (Democratic Party) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 25, 1926 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Frostburg , Maryland |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 3, 2017 |
| Place of death | Aldie , Virginia |