Barry D. Knight (born September 26, 1954, in

Princess Anne County, Virginia County of Princess Anne is a former county in the British Colony of Virginia and the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States, first incorporated in 1691. The county was merged into the city of Virginia Beach on January 1, 1963, ceasing to ...

) is an

American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bic ...

. 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 ...

, he was elected a member of 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-numbe ...

in a

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...

on January 6, 2009. He the 81st district, made up of parts of the cities of

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

and

Chesapeake Chesapeake often refers to: *Chesapeake people, a Native American tribe also known as the Chesepian * The Chesapeake, a.k.a. Chesapeake Bay *Delmarva Peninsula, also known as the Chesapeake Peninsula Chesapeake may also refer to: Populated plac ...

.Virginia House of Delegates 2009

Early life

Knight was born and raised on a farm. After graduation from

Kempsville High School Kempsville High School is a comprehensive public high school for students in grades 9–12 in the Virginia Beach City Public Schools system. In the western section of the city, the Kempsville High School covers approximately 12 sq. miles and d ...

, he worked as a

truck driver A truck driver (commonly referred to as a trucker, teamster, or driver in the United States and Canada; a truckie in Australia and New Zealand; a HGV driver in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the European Union, a lorry driver, or driver in ...

to raise enough money to buy his own hog farm. his business, Barry D. Knight Farms, produced about 12,000 hogs a year. Knight was named the Virginia Farm Bureau's Young Farmer of the Year in 1983. He was president of the Tidewater Pork Producers 1984–1990. He was chairman of the Southern States Cooperative, and vice president of the Virginia Beach Farm Bureau. Knight married Paula Jane Whitehurst, c.1983. They have three sons, Hunter, Kyle and Forrest.

Political career

Knight served on the Virginia Pork Board, a gubernatorial appointment, 1995–c.2001. He was appointed to the Virginia Beach Planning Commission in 2003, and was elected chair in 2006. In September 2008, Delegate

Terrie Suit Terrie L. Suit (born October 3, 1964 in Orléans, France) is an American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that ...

resigned her 81st district seat to take a job as a

lobbyist In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

. Knight ran for the Republican nomination, winning a three-way primary contest on November 29 over Virginia Beach Sheriff Paul Lanteigne and Tom Keeley, a retired

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

officer. Knight received 1,309 votes out of 2,218 ballots cast. He went on to beat Democratic activist John LaCombe handily in the special election on January 6, 2009.

Notes

References

* * (Constituent/campaign website) *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Barry D. 1954 births Living people Republican Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates Politicians from Virginia Beach, Virginia 21st-century American politicians

Early life

Political career

See also

Notes

References

External links