Stanley Clay Walker (July 2, 1923 – January 15, 2001) was a long-time Democratic politician, elected in 1963 to represent

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

as a delegate to 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 ...

, and in 1971 winning election to represent the city and surrounding areas in the Virginia Senate, at first from the 5th district and after redistricting following the 1980 census representing the 6th district. In 1988, Walker rose to become president pro tempore of the Virginia Senate, holding that position until his forced retirement in 2000, Democrats having lost their majority in the House for the first time in 116 years in the 1999 Virginia state elections.

Early life

Walker was born on July 2, 1923, in Norfolk. He graduated from Fork Union Military Academy, and was sent to the European Theatre in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

at the age of 18 serving in an ordnance unit of the

82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into denied areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...

Political career

In 1959, as racial desegregation of the public schools was being fought out in Virginia, Walker was appointed to the Norfolk School Board, "where he was a voice of moderation in the often perilous efforts to integrate the public schools." In 1963, Walker was elected to the

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-numbe ...

representing Norfolk, serving from 1964 to 1971. That year he was elected to the Virginia Senate in a 3-member multimember district representing Norfolk and part of the City of Virginia Beach. Eventually, as a result of redistricting, he would represent the 6th District. He was elected president ''pro tempore'' by the Senate in 1988. He served in the Senate, chairing 4 committees, until his defeat by Republican Nick Rerras in 1999.

Death

Walker died on January 15, 2001, in Norfolk, Virginia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Stanley C. 1923 births 2001 deaths Democratic Party Virginia state senators Politicians from Norfolk, Virginia United States Army personnel of World War II 20th-century American politicians United States Army soldiers