Robert Edward "Edd" Houck (born September 11, 1950) 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 ...

and educator. He served in the

Senate of Virginia The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Virg ...

1984–2012, representing the 17th district in the

Virginia Piedmont The Piedmont region of Virginia is a part of the greater Piedmont physiographic region which stretches from the falls of the Potomac, Rappahannock, and James Rivers to the Blue Ridge Mountains. The region runs across the middle of the state from ...

as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

for more than two decades.

Early and family life

Houck was born in

Smyth County, Virginia Smyth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,800. Its county seat is Marion. History Smyth County was formed on February 23, 1832, from Washington and Wythe counties. The county i ...

on September 11, 1950. He attended the local public schools and graduated from Marion Senior High School. He then attended

Wytheville Community College Wytheville Community College (WCC) is a public community college in Wytheville, Virginia. It is part of the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) and opened in 1963 as a two-year branch of Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University. WC ...

, then

Concord University Concord University (Concord) is a public university in Athens, West Virginia. It was founded on February 28, 1872, when the West Virginia Legislature passed "an Act to locate a Branch State Normal School, in the town of Concord Church, in the ...

and received his bachelor's degree. He also earned a master's degree in Education from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

. He married Dana Kee Blankenship, and is a member of Christ Episcopal Church. Their son Todd died in 2015. Their daughter Greta died in 2012.

Career

Houck chose a career in education, rising to become the supervisor of special and vocational education in the Fredericksburg city schools before voters elected him in 1983 to the

Virginia State Senate The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 Senate, senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the Lieutenant Governor ...

. He served in the State Senate (a part-time position) from 1984–2012, representing the 17th senatorial district. Most of the bills he introduced also had Republican co-sponsors. Sen. Houck served on the Finance, Transportation, Rules, General Laws and Technology committees. Becoming the Senate's third ranking member, he was Chairman of the Senate Education and Health Committee, the Joint Commission on Health Care and of the Health and Human Resources Subcommittee. He was also the Chairman of the Freedom of Information Advisory Council and vice chairman of the Commission on the Reduction of Sexual Assault Victimization in Virginia. Houck also served on the board of directors of the

School of Education Foundation, and the University's Continuing Education Advisory Council, as well as the Virginia High School League Northern Virginia

4-H 4-H is a U.S.-based network of youth organizations whose mission is "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development". Its name is a reference to the occurrence of the initial letter H four times i ...

Educational Center, the Spotsylvania 4-H, V-QUEST, and as chancellor of the

Ruritan Ruritan National is a service club located in small towns and rural areas in the United States. It aims to achieve "Fellowship, Goodwill and Community Service". The local clubs are autonomous from the national organization. Many Ruritan clubs ...

Club and once president of

Pi Kappa Alpha Pi Kappa Alpha (), commonly known as PIKE, is a college fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1868. The fraternity has over 225 chapters and colonies across the United States and abroad with over 15,500 undergraduate members over 30 ...

. He was also active in the

Izaak Walton League The Izaak Walton League is an American environmental organization founded in 1922 that promotes natural resource protection and outdoor recreation. The organization was founded in Chicago, Illinois, by a group of sportsmen who wished to protect fi ...

, the Fredericksburg Area

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ad ...

and

Phi Delta Kappa PDK International (also known as PDK or Phi Delta Kappa International) is a US professional organization for educators. Its main office is in Arlington, Virginia. It was founded on January 24, 1906. Membership Currently, membership consists o ...

. On November 8, 2011, Republican

Bryce Reeves Bryce E. Reeves (born November 28, 1966) is an American politician serving as a member of the Senate of Virginia. A State Farm insurance agent, he was elected in 2011. Reeves defeated the 28-year Democratic incumbent, Edd Houck, by 226 votes. Re ...

defeated incumbent Democrat Houck by a margin of 226 votes in his attempt, and was re-elected by a larger margin against Democrat Ned Galloway in 2015.

References

1950 births Living people Democratic Party Virginia state senators People from Smyth County, Virginia People from Spotsylvania County, Virginia Curry School of Education alumni Concord University alumni 21st-century American politicians {{Virginia-VASenate-stub