Virgil Munday Chapman (March 15, 1895March 8, 1951) was an American attorney and Democratic politician who represented

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

in 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

and in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

. Chapman, originally from Middleton, Kentucky, practiced law in

Irvine, Kentucky Irvine () is a home rule-class city in Estill County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. Its population was 2,715 at the time of the 2010 census. Geography Irvine is located in the center of Estill County at (37.69 ...

, then Paris, Kentucky, then

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

. He was married to Mary Chapman and had one daughter, Elizabeth. In 1924 Chapman was elected to the

and served two terms representing Kentucky's 7th Congressional District in the House, 1925-1929. In 1928 Chapman lost his House seat in the Republican landslide as

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...

was elected president. Chapman was ousted that year by Republican Robert E. Lee Blackburn but defeated Blackburn in a rematch in 1930. Chapman, re-elected to the House in 1930, served two terms, 1931-1935, representing the 7th district. Chapman then was elected to represent Kentucky's 6th district in the House and held that seat from 1935 through 1949. In 1948 Chapman defeated incumbent John Sherman Cooper for a seat in the United States Senate. An automobile accident in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

killed Chapman on March 8, 1951. He is buried at Paris Cemetery, at Paris, Kentucky. Chapman was succeeded in both the House of Representatives and the Senate by

Thomas R. Underwood Thomas Rust Underwood (March 3, 1898June 29, 1956) was an American politician who served Kentucky in the United States House of Representatives and in the United States Senate. Early life Thomas Rust Underwood was born in Hopkinsville, Kentu ...

. This is rare but not unique. Dan Quayle,

William Hathaway William Dodd Hathaway (February 21, 1924June 24, 2013) was an American politician and lawyer from Maine. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States senator for Maine from 1973 to 1979, as the U.S. representative for Maine's 2 ...

Henry C. Hansbrough Henry Clay Hansbrough (January 30, 1848November 16, 1933) was a United States politician who served as the first United States Representative from North Dakota, as well as a Senator from North Dakota. Biography Henry Clay Hansbrough was born ...

, Jonathan Chace, and

Tom Udall Thomas Stewart Udall ( ; born May 18, 1948) is an American diplomat, lawyer and politician serving as the United States Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States senator from N ...

were all also succeeded by the same person in both the House and Senate.

References

Memorial services held in the House of Representatives together with remarks presented in eulogy of Virgil Munday Chapman, late a representative from Kentucky
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chapman, Virgil 1895 births 1951 deaths American Disciples of Christ Kentucky lawyers People from Bourbon County, Kentucky People from Estill County, Kentucky Politicians from Lexington, Kentucky People from Simpson County, Kentucky Road incident deaths in Washington, D.C. Democratic Party United States senators from Kentucky Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers

See also

References