Mary Margaret Whipple (born May 26, 1940) is a former Democratic member of 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 ...

, representing the 31st district from 1996 - 2012.

Political career

She was the Chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus, and she was the first woman to hold a leadership position in the

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 161 ...

.Senate of Virginia bio On February 25, 2011, Whipple announced that she will not be seeking reelection. Whipple also serves as a member of the Eighth District Democratic Committee and the State Democratic Committee. Perhaps Whipple's most notable achievement in the 2007 legislative session was inserting

renewable energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...

portfolio requirements in legislation applicable to Virginia

electric utilities An electric utility is a company in the electric power industry (often a public utility) that engages in electricity generation and distribution of electricity for sale generally in a regulated market. The electrical utility industry is a major pr ...

. Her committee assignments in the 2010-11 legislative sessions were: Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources; Education and Health; Finance; Privileges and Elections; and Rules. Whipple believes Virginia's tax system is "grossly regressive" and has sponsored bills to change it. Her bills would share state income tax revenues with localities and would increase the

cigarette tax A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhaled via the oppo ...

to 60 cents per pack. In 2001-02, Whipple served on the Commission on the Structure of Virginia's State and Local Tax System and Service Responsibilities. In December 2009, while serving in the

of the

Whipple wrote the Governor

Tim Kaine Timothy Michael Kaine (; born February 26, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Virginia since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 38th lieutenant governor of Virgini ...

, requesting a conditional pardon and clemency for

Joseph Giarratano Joseph M. Giarratano (born August 26, 1957) is a former prisoner who served in Deerfield Correctional Center, in Southampton County, Virginia. On November 21, 2017, he was granted parole. He was convicted based on circumstantial evidence and his ...

. Whipple was raised in

College Station, Texas College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East-Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley, towards the eastern edge of the region known as the Texas Triangle. It is northwest of Houston and east-northeast of Austin. ...

and attended

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranke ...

. She holds a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

from

American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...

and an

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

American Studies American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinary field of scholarship that examines American literature, history, society, and culture. It traditionally incorporates literary criticism, historiography and critical theory. Sch ...

from

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

. She was appointed to the Arlington School Board in 1976 and served as Chair in 1978-79. Whipple was elected to the Arlington County Board in 1983-95, and was Chair in 1986. While on the County Board, she served as the Arlington representative to the

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA ), commonly referred to as Metro, is a tri-jurisdictional government agency that operates transit service in the Washington metropolitan area. WMATA was created by the United States Con ...

("Metro") Board in 1985 and in 1988-1995, serving as chair in 1990. Among the possible successors in the 31st Senate District were Delegates

Patrick Hope Patrick Alan Hope (born March 6, 1972) is an American politician. Since 2010, he has served in the Virginia House of Delegates, representing the 47th district in Arlington County, outside Washington, D.C. Hope is a member of the Democratic Party. ...

and

Robert Brink Robert Greenleaf Brink (Boston, 30 March 1924 - Boston, 24 October 2014) was an American violinist, conductor, and educator. He was a professor of music at the New England Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts. He performed with the harpsicho ...

, former

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

candidate Mike Signer, County Board member

Barbara Favola Barbara A. Favola (born June 21, 1955) is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Virginia. A Democrat, she has served in the Senate of Virginia since 2011, representing the 31st District, encompassing portions of Arlington, Fairfax, an ...

, and

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

Jaime Areizaga. Barbara Favola eventually won the seat.

References

Sources

External links

Project Vote Smart - Senator Mary Margaret Whipple (VA)
profile *''Follow the Money'' - Mary Margaret Whipple
2005200320011999
campaign contributions
Washington Post - Senate District 31 Race
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whipple, Mary Margaret 1940 births Living people People from Watseka, Illinois People from College Station, Texas American Presbyterians Democratic Party Virginia state senators County supervisors in Virginia Rice University alumni American University alumni Columbian College of Arts and Sciences alumni Women state legislators in Virginia People from Arlington County, Virginia 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians