Augustus Benton Chafin Jr. (May 18, 1960January 1, 2021) was an American politician who served in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-number ...

from the

4th district Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

in 2014, and in the Senate of Virginia from the 38th district from 2014 to 2021, as a member of the Republican Party.

Early life and education

Augustus Benton Chafin Jr. was born on May 18, 1960, in

Abingdon, Virginia Abingdon is a town in Washington County, Virginia, United States, southwest of Roanoke. The population was 8,376 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Washington County. The town encompasses several historically significant sites and f ...

, to Augustus Benton Chafin Sr. and Mary Miller. He was married to Lora Lee Car for thirty-eight years and had three children with her. Chafin graduated from

East Tennessee State University East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is a public research university in Johnson City, Tennessee. Although it is part of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee, the university is governed by an institutional Board of Tr ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

in 1982, and later graduated from the

University of Richmond School of Law The University of Richmond School of Law (Richmond Law) is a school of the University of Richmond, located in Richmond, Virginia. Richmond Law is ranked 52nd (tie) in the US by ''US News'', among the ''top five value'' law schools by the ''Natio ...

with a juris doctor. His sister, Teresa M. Chafin, was elected to the Supreme Court of Virginia. In 1986, Chafin created a law firm, Chafin Law Firm, in Lebanon, Virginia. He served as counsel for the Russell County Industrial Development Authority for eighteen years and served on the First Bank and Trust's board of directors, which his father has aided in the creation of.

Career

Virginia House of Delegates

During the

2013 Virginia House of Delegates election The Virginia House of Delegates election of 2013 was held on Tuesday, November 5. Delegates not running for re-election Results Overview Seats that changed hands ; Democratic to Republican (1) * 4th district ; Independent to Re ...

, Chafin sought a seat in the

from the

as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. Incumbent Democratic Representative Joseph P. Johnson was retiring and Chafin faced no opposition in the general election.

Senate of Virginia

In 2013, Senator Phillip Puckett resigned from the Senate of Virginia causing a special election. Chafin defeated Democratic nominee Dean Michael Hymes and independent Rickey Allen Mullins in the special election becoming the first Republican elected to the 38th Senate district since George F. Barnes won during the 1971 election. Chafin and Hymes both raised over $700,000 for their campaigns. He was reelected in the 2015 and

2019 elections The following elections were scheduled to occur in 2019. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems has a calendar of upcoming elections around the world, and the National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections in coun ...

. Chafin served on the Education and Health, Judiciary, Privileges and Elections, and Rehabilitation and Social Services committees in the state senate.

Death

Chafin was hospitalized after contracting

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

in December 2020, and died from complications of COVID-19 at VCU Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia. A special election was called by Governor

Ralph Northam Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...

to select a successor, which was won by Republican Travis Hackworth against Democratic nominee Laurie Buchwald.

Electoral history

References

External links

*
Biography
at Ballotpedia
A. Benton Chafin, Jr. Republican, District 38
Senate of Virginia {{DEFAULTSORT:Chafin, Benton 1960 births 2021 deaths 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century American politicians Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Virginia East Tennessee State University alumni Republican Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates People from Lebanon, Virginia Politicians from Abingdon, Virginia University of Richmond School of Law alumni Virginia lawyers Republican Party Virginia state senators