Israel Dean O'Quinn (born March 5, 1980) is an

American politician In the United States, politics functions within a framework of a constitutional federal democratic republic with a presidential system. The three distinct branches share powers: Congress, which forms the legislative branch, a bicameral legis ...

. A Republican, he was elected to the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses 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 2011. He the 44th district, made up of the cities of

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

and

Galax ''Galax'', the wandplant, wandflower, or beetleweed, is a genus in the flowering plant family Diapensiaceae, containing a single species, ''Galax urceolata'' ( syn. ''G. rotundifolia'', ''G. aphylla''). It is native to the southeastern United S ...

, Grayson County, and parts of

Smyth Smyth is an early variant of the common surname Smith (surname), Smith commonly found in Ireland.Citation: Bardsley, 1901 Shown below are notable people who share the surname "Smyth". Notable people sharing the Smyth surname Listed here are peop ...

and

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

counties in the southwestern part of the state.

Early life, education, business career

O'Quinn graduated from Patrick Henry High School; he went on to receive a B.A. degree in political science and history from

Emory and Henry College Emory & Henry University (E&H or Emory) is a private university in Emory, Virginia, United States. The campus comprises of Washington County, which is part of the Appalachian highlands of Southwest Virginia. Founded in 1836, Emory & Henry U ...

in 2002. After graduation, he worked in the office of the

Attorney General of Virginia The attorney general of Virginia is an elected constitutional position that holds an Executive (government), executive office in the government of Virginia. Attorneys general are elected for a four-year term in the year following a United State ...

, Jerry Kilgore, and on several political campaigns. In 2006, he was hired by K-VA-T Food Stores, owners of the

K-VA-T Food City Food City is an American supermarket chain with stores located in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. It is owned by K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc., a privately held family and employee-owned corporation (13% via ESOP) headquartered ...

regional supermarket chain, and currently serves as Director of the company's Office of Strategic Initiatives, in addition to chairing the company's Energy Conservation Committee. O'Quinn is married to Emily Lauren Gentry, a corporate communications professional.

House of Delegates

In 2011, O'Quinn ran for the 5th district nomination when the incumbent, C. W. Carrico, decided to run for the

state senate In the United States, the state legislature is the legislative branch in each of the 50 U.S. states. A legislature generally performs state duties for a state in the same way that the United States Congress performs national duties at ...

. He defeated

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

candidate Michael D. Osborne in the general election, with 12,166 votes to 5,338. In 2019, Osborne challenged O'Quinn for the Republican nomination for the 5th district, citing concerns with a casino proposed in Bristol and tolls on

Interstate 81 Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40, I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee, Dandridge, Tennessee; its nort ...

. O'Quinn introduced legislation in January 2019 that would allow residents of Bristol to vote in a referendums to allow a proposed casino to open and operate in the former Bristol Mall. O'Quinn defeated Osborne, with 2,449 votes to 721. O'Quinn ran unopposed in the November general election.

Electoral history

Notes

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:OQuinn, Israel 1980 births Living people Republican Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates Emory and Henry University alumni Politicians from Abingdon, Virginia 21st-century members of the Virginia General Assembly