Goodloe Edgar Byron (June 22, 1929 – October 11, 1978), 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 ...

, was a

U.S. Congressman The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

who represented the 6th congressional district of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

from January 3, 1971, until his death from a heart attack on October 11, 1978. He was replaced as 6th district representative by his widow,

Beverly Byron Beverly Barton Butcher Byron (born July 27, 1932) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as the U.S. Congresswoman representing the 6th congressional district of Maryland from January 3, 1979, to January 3, 1 ...

, in 1979.

Career

Byron attended The JAG School at 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 ...

and entered U.S. Army JAG Corps. He served as a member of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

Judge Advocate General's Corps The Judge Advocate General's Corps, also known as JAG or JAG Corps, is the military justice branch or specialty of the United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy. Officers serving in the JAG Corps are typically called judg ...

from 1953 to 1957, honorably discharged with the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. He earned his JD from

The George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

He later was elected to the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the State of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis, ...

(1963–1967) and the

Maryland State Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single- ...

(1967–1971). His parents, William D. Byron and Katharine Byron, both served as 6th district representative, from 1939 to 1941 and 1941 to 1943, respectively. The Byron family were communicants of Saint John's Church, Hagerstown.

Death

On October 11, 1978, Byron suffered a fatal

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

while he was jogging with an aide alongside the

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal and occasionally called the "Grand Old Ditch," operated from 1831 until 1924 along the Potomac River between Washington, D.C. and Cumberland, Maryland. It replaced the Potomac Canal, wh ...

in western Maryland.

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

Obituary for Rep. Goodloe Byron
published on page 27 of the October 12, 1978, edition of the ''

Toledo Blade ''The Blade'', also known as the ''Toledo Blade'', is a newspaper in Toledo, Ohio published daily online and printed Thursday and Sunday by Block Communications. The newspaper was first published on December 19, 1835. Overview The first issue o ...

''. Retrieved on June 27, 2012. He was 49 years old. Byron was buried in the Antietam National Cemetery in

Sharpsburg, Maryland Sharpsburg is a town in Washington County, Maryland. The town is approximately south of Hagerstown. Its population was 705 at the 2010 census. During the American Civil War, the Battle of Antietam, sometimes referred to as the Battle of Sharpsb ...

. Byron was intrigued by the now widely discredited claim of Thomas J. Bassler, MD that nonsmokers able to complete a

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

in under four hours can eat whatever they wish and never suffer a fatal

. According to

nutritionist A nutritionist is a person who advises others on matters of food and nutrition and their impacts on health. Some people specialize in particular areas, such as sports nutrition, public health, or animal nutrition, among other disciplines. In many c ...

and longevity research pioneer Nathan Pritikin, Byron had run six

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was i ...

s, with a best time of 3:28:40, and had not smoked for 25 years. He ignored warnings from his physician who told him that treadmill tests from 1974 to 1978 indicated his coronary arteries were gradually closing. The last treadmill test in January 1978 "indicated severe abnormality and was positive for heart disease." The physician advised Byron to stop running until further tests could be done. Dr. Manuel G. Jimenez, who did the autopsy, said Byron had “only pinprick openings” in his coronary arteries because they were filled with cholesterol. “Congressman Byron's coronary arteries were worse than most I've autopsied.”

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Byron, Goodloe 1929 births 1978 deaths 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American politicians Byron family of Maryland Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland George Washington University Law School alumni United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps Maryland lawyers Democratic Party Maryland state senators Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates Military personnel from Maryland People from Williamsport, Maryland Politicians from Frederick, Maryland Politicians from Hagerstown, Maryland United States Army officers University of Virginia alumni

Career

Death

See also

References

External links