William Earl Fears (September 28, 1920 – August 25, 2008) was a long-serving 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 ...

from the 1960s to the 1990s.

Early life and career

Fears was born in

Jonesboro, Arkansas Jonesboro is a city located on Crowley's Ridge in the northeastern corner of the U.S. State of Arkansas. Jonesboro is one of two county seats of Craighead County. According to the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 78,576 and is the f ...

on September 28, 1920. He left home at the age of 13 to live with relatives on Maryland's Eastern Shore and in New York.Virginia Senate Joint Resolution No. 389, ''Celebrating the life of William E. Fears.'' Agreed to by the Senate, January 29, 2009; Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 20, 2009 In 1943, Fears earned a bachelor's degree in metallurgical engineering at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during

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 ...

. He saw combat as a lieutenant in the 92nd Bombardment Group based in England. After military service, Fears earned a law degree from the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

. He practiced law in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

and New York City before relocating to Accomac, Virginia on Virginia's Eastern Shore in 1950, where he practiced law for 50 years.

Political career

Fears served as Commonwealth's Attorney for Accomac County, Virginia until his election to the Virginia Senate in 1967. He defeated incumbent Senator

E. Almer Ames Jr. Edward Almer Ames Jr. (January 22, 1903 – May 19, 1987) was a Virginia lawyer and member of the Virginia General Assembly representing Virginia's Eastern Shore of Virginia, Eastern shore between 1956 and 1968. A member of the Byrd Organization, ...

Byrd Organization The Byrd machine, or Byrd organization, was a political machine of the Democratic Party led by former Governor and U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd (1887–1966) that dominated Virginia politics for much of the 20th century. From the 1890s until the l ...

stalwart" Robertson, Ellen. Outspoken former senator William E. Fears dies at 87. ''Richmond Times-Dispatch'', August 28, 2008
/ref> to secure the Democratic nomination and was subsequently elected to represent the

1st District The Innere Stadt (; Central Bavarian: ''Innare Stod'') is the 1st municipal district of Vienna () located in the center of the Austrian capital. The Innere Stadt is the old town of Vienna. Until the city boundaries were expanded in 1850, the Inn ...

. In 1971, the Virginia General Assembly was redistricted and Senator Fears' home in Accomac County was placed in the 3rd District which included part of the

Virginia Peninsula The Virginia Peninsula is a peninsula in southeast Virginia, USA, bounded by the York River, James River, Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay. It is sometimes known as the ''Lower Peninsula'' to distinguish it from two other peninsulas to the ...

in addition to the Eastern Shore counties of Accomac and

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

. He was re-elected to the Senate throughout the 1970s and 1980s. In 1991, the 3rd District was redrawn to include more Republican-leaning territory on the Virginia Peninsula. During the legislative session that year, Fears spoke against increasing penalties for drunk driving, saying, "We're going to take all the sport out of drinking and driving." That November, Republican

Tommy Norment Thomas Kent Norment Jr. (born April 12, 1946) is an American politician serving as the Minority Leader of the Senate of Virginia. He has served in the Virginia General Assembly since 1992. A Republican, he represents the 3rd district of the Virg ...

defeated Fears.

Death

William E. Fears died on August 25, 2008.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fears, William E. 1920 births 2008 deaths Democratic Party Virginia state senators People from Accomac, Virginia Politicians from Jonesboro, Arkansas Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science alumni University of Cincinnati alumni United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II 20th-century American legislators United States Army Air Forces officers 20th-century Virginia politicians