Kenneth William Stolle (born July 7, 1954) 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 bi ...

of the Republican Party. He was a member of the Senate of Virginia from 1992 to 2010. He represented the 8th district in

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 ...

. Stolle has served as the sheriff of

since 2010.

Personal life

Stolle's father was in the

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 ...

. Stolle attended London Central High School in England, and graduated from

Frank W. Cox High School Frank W. Cox High School is a secondary school located in the Great Neck subdivision of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Virginia Beach, Virginia. It was founded in 1961 as the Northeast Junior High School, but upon opening, it was named after a former s ...

in Virginia Beach in 1972. He then attended Berry College, getting an Interdisciplinary

B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...

degree in Criminal Justice in 1975. Stolle served as an officer with the

Virginia Beach Police Department The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health, and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

from 1976 to 1987. Among other duties, he was a narcotics detective and SWAT team leader. He read law while on the police force and was admitted to the Virginia State Bar in 1983. The same year, he was commissioned in the

United States Naval Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Se ...

. He served eight years in Naval Intelligence on drug interdiction matters. Stolle left police work to become a full-time attorney in 1987. He with the Kaufman and Canoles law firm in Virginia Beach.

Political career

Stolle became chair of the local Republican committee in Virginia Beach in 1989. In 1991, he was elected to the state senate, defeating Democratic incumbent Moody E. "Sonny" Stallings, a Virginia Beach lawyer. He was unopposed for reelection in 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007.* In 1997, Stolle ran for

Attorney General of Virginia The attorney general of Virginia is an elected constitutional position that holds an executive office in the government of Virginia. Attorneys general are elected for a four-year term in the year following a presidential election. There are no ...

but finished third in a four-way Republican primary with 20.8% of the vote, behind state senator

Mark Earley Mark Lawrence Earley (born July 26, 1954) is an American attorney and former politician. A Republican, he was elected to the Virginia State Senate (1988–1998), and then elected Attorney General of Virginia (1998 to 2001). In 2001, he resigned a ...

, who went on to win the general election that year, and Secretary of Public Safety Jerry Kilgore, who was elected to the office four years later in 2001. Stolle was chair of the Senate Courts of Justice committee 2000–07. The Virginia Bar Association honored him with its Distinguished Service Award for his work improving Virginia's indigent defense system."VBA honors Stolle, Warner, life members' Virginia Lawyers Weekly (July 30, 2007) In 2007 Stolle's younger brother,

Chris Stolle Christopher Patrick Stolle (born April 1, 1958) is a former member of the Virginia House of Delegates representing 83rd district, which includes portions of the cities of Virginia Beach and Norfolk. A Republican, he first won election in 2009 b ...

, ran for the 83rd district

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 ...

seat of retiring Republican Leo Wardrup. He was defeated by Democrat

Joe Bouchard Joseph J. Bouchard (; born November 9, 1948) is an American musician. He was the bassist and one of the lead singers of the hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult during their most successful period. He is the younger brother of original Blue Öyster ...

, 50.6% to 49.2%. On April 3, 2009, Stolle announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for sheriff of Virginia Beach, after incumbent Paul Lanteigne announced his retirement. Stolle also made public the fact that he had been diagnosed with

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

about three years earlier. Stolle later won and is currently holding the office.

Notes

References

* * (Constituent/campaign website) *

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stolle, Kenneth W. 1954 births Living people Virginia sheriffs Republican Party Virginia state senators Virginia lawyers Berry College alumni Politicians from Virginia Beach, Virginia 21st-century American politicians