Chuck Robb

Chuck Robb

Charles Spittal "Chuck" Robb (born June 26, 1939 in Phoenix , Arizona ) is an American politician . He was governor of the state of Virginia from 1982 to 1986 and later represented it as a senator from 1989 to 2001 in the US Senate .

Early years

After elementary school in Fairfax , Chuck Robb attended Cornell University and then until 1961 the University of Wisconsin . Between 1961 and 1970 he did his military service in the US Marine Corps . He was also used in the Vietnam War. After studying law at the University of Virginia , he received his law degree in 1973. After a brief stint at a federal appeals court , he began practicing law in a Washington law firm in 1974 .

Lieutenant Governor and Governor of Virginia

Chuck Robb while serving as Lieutenant Governor (1981)

Robb became a member of the Democratic Party , whose candidate he was elected lieutenant governor of Virginia in 1978 . He held this office between 1978 and 1982. Then in 1982 he was elected governor of his state. Governor Robb took office on January 16, 1982. During his four-year term in office, the budget for education policy was increased. Nonetheless, he managed to set a balanced budget without raising taxes. Trade also flourished during his tenure. This is how the Port of Hampton Roads became the fastest growing port in the United States. Robb appointed many women and members of minority groups to government positions. It was also when the first African American was appointed to the Virginia Supreme Court Justice. Governor Robb tried to reform the Democratic Party in Virginia. On the other hand, the death penalty was used in Virginia for the first time in 25 years . At times he was under discussion as a candidate for the presidency or vice-presidency. Robb was a member of various governors' associations.

US Senator

After the end of his governorship, Robb worked as a lawyer again. He was elected to the US Senate in 1988 and confirmed in that office in 1994. He was therefore able to exercise this mandate between January 3, 1989 and January 3, 2001. His attempt at re-election in 2000 was unsuccessful. In 1992, Robb was chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee , which organized the election campaigns of the Democratic senators.

Another résumé

After his tenure in Congress was over, Robb became a member of the Board of Visitors of the US Naval Academy . In 2004, President George W. Bush appointed him to an intelligence commission to investigate the background to the invasion of Iraq and the alleged weapons of mass destruction. Charles Robb is married to Lynda Byrd Johnson, the daughter of President Lyndon B. Johnson . The couple have three children and now live in McLean .

Web links

• Chuck Robb in the National Governors Association (English)
• Chuck Robb in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)