Thelma Day Drake (born November 20, 1949) is an American politician and former

member of Congress A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...

for

Virginia's 2nd congressional district Virginia's second congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It currently encompasses all of Accomack, Northampton, and York Counties; all of the independent cities of Virginia Beach and Willi ...

. A Republican, she served in the

U.S. House of Representatives 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 ...

from 2005 to 2009. Prior to serving in Congress, Thelma Drake served nine years in 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 ...

. After leaving Congress, Drake was appointed to be Director of the

Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (VDRPT) is an agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. According to its web site, the state agency's mission is "to improve the mobility of people and goods while expanding ...

by Governor Robert McDonnell, and later became Assistant Director of Public Works Transportation Division for the City of Norfolk. She also worked as a real estate agent in the Hampton Roads region. On February 15, 2018, Drake was nominated by President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

as the Administrator of the

Federal Transit Administration The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is an agency within the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) that provides financial and technical assistance to local public transportation systems. The FTA is one of ten modal administration ...

. On January 3, 2019, the nomination expired. On January 16, 2019, she was renominated to the same office. The nomination expired on January 3, 2020 and she was not renominated.

Early life and education

Thelma Drake was born Thelma Mary Day in

Elyria, Ohio Elyria ( ) is a city in the Greater Cleveland metropolitan statistical area and the county seat of Lorain County, Ohio, United States, located at the forks of the Black River in Northeast Ohio 23 miles southwest of Cleveland. As of the 2020 ce ...

to parents Harry Elwood Day and Ephram O'Brien Day. She attended both Elyria Catholic High School and

Elyria High School Elyria High School is a public high school in Elyria, Ohio. Founded in 1830, it is notable for being the first chartered high school west of the Allegheny Mountains. Elyria High School athletic teams are known as the Pioneers and compete in the ...

. She later attended

Old Dominion University Old Dominion University (Old Dominion or ODU) is a public research university in Norfolk, Virginia. It was established in 1930 as the Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary and is now one of the largest universities in Virginia with a ...

in Norfolk, Virginia.

Career

Virginia House of Delegates

In 1995 Drake became the second Republican to be elected to represent the City of Norfolk in the

since the

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the blood ...

. She served in the House of Delegates for nine years representing the 87th District. Drake served as chair of the Virginia Housing Commission and as a member of the Chesapeake Bay Commission.

U.S. Congress

Drake was elected to the

United States House of Representatives 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 c ...

in 2004. She entered the race after incumbent Republican congressman

Ed Schrock Edward Lee Schrock (born April 6, 1941) is a retired naval officer (1964–1988) and American Republican politician who served as a member of the Senate of Virginia from 1996 - 2001. He also served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Janu ...

ended his re-election campaign. Drake defeated Democratic Party candidate, David Ashe, in the general election, becoming the third woman to represent Virginia in Congress after Leslie Byrne and Jo Ann Davis. In 2006, Drake defeated Democratic Party candidate, Phillip Kellam, 51% to 49%. In 2008, Drake was defeated by Democratic nominee

Glenn Nye Glenn Carlyle Nye III (born September 9, 1974) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 2009 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He was defeated in his attempt to attain re-election on November 2, 2010. ...

Personal life

She is married to Ted Drake and lives in the East Ocean View area of

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 Bea ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Drake, Thelma D. 1949 births 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians Living people Republican Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates Female members of the United States House of Representatives Old Dominion University alumni People from Elyria, Ohio Politicians from Norfolk, Virginia Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia Trump administration personnel United Church of Christ members United States Department of Transportation officials Women state legislators in Virginia