William B. Spong

William B. Spong

William Belser Spong (born September 29, 1920 in Portsmouth , Virginia , † October 8, 1997 ibid) was an American politician of the Democratic Party . From 1966 to 1973 he sat for the US state of Virginia in the US Senate .

biography

Spong was born in Portsmouth, Virginia. There he attended the local schools. He studied law at the University of Virginia and the University of Edinburgh . During his studies he was called up for military service, he served in the US Army from 1942 to 1945 during the Second World War . In 1947 he finished his studies and was admitted to the bar. He opened a law firm in his hometown. From 1948 to 1949 Spong was a lecturer at the College of William & Mary .

From 1954 to 1955 Spong sat in the Virginia House of Delegates . From 1956 to 1966, membership in the Virginia State Senate joined. There he was involved, among other things, in the school system.

US President Lyndon B. Johnson personally asked Spong to stand for election to the US Senate in Virginia in 1966 against incumbent Absalom Willis Robertson . After the successful election, Robertson resigned before the end of his term. The governor of Virginia, Mills E. Godwin , appointed Spong as his successor, which is why Spong was able to take office on December 31, 1966. In the 1972 election, Spong was defeated by William L. Scott . 1973 Spong resigned from the Senate.

After his political career, Spong returned to practice as a lawyer. He was also a lecturer at the College of William & Mary. In 1976 he was also President of the Virginia Bar Association. From 1988 to 1989 he was interim president of Old Dominion University . He lived in the city of his birth until his death. He was buried in the University of Virginia Cemetery in Charlottesville .

Web links

• William B. Spong in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• William B. Spong in the database of Find a Grave (English)