Clifton Alexander Woodrum (April 27, 1887 – October 6, 1950) was a

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

pharmacist, lawyer and

U.S. Representative 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 ...

from Roanoke who was considered a Progressive

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

for his support of President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

Early and family life

Born in

Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke ( ) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 100,011, making it the 8th most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the largest city in Virginia west of Richmond. It is ...

, to Robert H. and Anna T. Woodrum, years after his brother Robert J. Woodrum and sister Claudine J. Woodrum, Clifton Woodrum attended the local public schools. He later attended the University College of Medicine (now combined with the

Medical College of Virginia The VCU Medical Center is Virginia Commonwealth University's medical campus located in downtown Richmond, Virginia, in the Court End neighborhood. VCU Medical Center used to be known as the Medical College of Virginia (MCV), which merged with the ...

) in Richmond, Virginia. He married Martha Lena Woodrum, formerly of Texas. They had a son, Clifton A. Woodrum Jr. (1910–1959), and a daughter, Martha Anne Woodrum Zillhardt (1916–2002).

Careers

Woodrum became a registered pharmacist and engaged in his profession in Roanoke. He also followed his father's example, studied law at

Washington and Lee University , mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future" , established = , type = Private liberal arts university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.092 billion (2021) , president = William C. Dudley , provost = Lena Hill , city = Lexington ...

, Lexington, Virginia, and was admitted to the bar in 1908 and commenced practice in

. His father had been Roanoke's first elected Commonwealth's Attorney, and he too served in that capacity, from 1917 to 1919. The Virginia General Assembly then elected Woodrum as a judge of the Roanoke's Hustings Court, where he served from 1919 to 1922. Woodrum was elected as a

to the Sixty-eighth Congress and re-elected eleven times. He served from March 4, 1923, until his resignation on October 24, 1945 (effective December 31, 1945), to become president of the American Plant Food Council, Inc. Considered a "Southern Progressive" in Washington, Woodrum bucked the powerful Senators

Carter Glass Carter Glass (January 4, 1858 – May 28, 1946) was an American newspaper publisher and Democratic politician from Lynchburg, Virginia. He represented Virginia in both houses of Congress and served as the United States Secretary of the Treas ...

and

Harry F. Byrd Harry Flood Byrd Sr. (June 10, 1887 – October 20, 1966) was an American newspaper publisher, politician, and leader of the Democratic Party in Virginia for four decades as head of a political faction that became known as the Byrd Organization. ...

and the Byrd Organization to become an ardent "New Dealer." As a member of the

United States House Committee on Appropriations The United States House Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives that is responsible for passing appropriation bills along with its Senate counterpart. The bills passed by the Appropriations Comm ...

, he steered federal money for the purchase of land for Roanoke's airport, originally called "Woodrum's Field" in his honor, and today known as the

Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport (Woodrum Field) is three miles northwest of Roanoke, Virginia. It is governed by the five-member Roanoke Regional Airport Commission, which includes representatives from both the city and county of Roanoke ...

. He was also instrumental in bringing the

United States Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers a ...

hospital, now known as the Salem Veterans Affairs Medical Center to his district. The hospital brought many jobs to the region during the Great Depression. Woodrum was a fierce promoter of his state and region, and very fond of the song, "

Carry Me Back to Old Virginny "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" is a song written circa 1878 by James A. Bland (1854–1911), an African-American composer and minstrel performer. It was Virginia's state song from 1940 until 1997. There is some evidence suggesting that it i ...

". The song was representative of the commonwealth in many ways. "When Clifton A, Woodrum was in Congress, the House of Representatives couldn't adjourn until the honorable Democrat from

with a rich and varied baritone voice led the body in a rendition of "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny".

Death and legacy

Woodrum died of a heart attack in

Washington, D.C. ) , 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, ...

, October 6, 1950. He was interred in Fairview Cemetery,

. His son and namesake also became a lawyer in Roanoke, but only survived him by 9 years. His grandson

Chip Woodrum Clifton Alexander "Chip" Woodrum III (July 23, 1938 – February 19, 2013) was a Virginia lawyer and politician. Early and family life Born in Washington, D.C. to Clifton A. Woodrum Jr. and his wife the former Margaret Troy Lanier, Woodrum ...

continued the family tradition of opposing the Byrd organization, and served 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-number ...

, where he became known (among other accomplishments) for updating Virginia's Freedom of Information Act. The Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional/Woodrum Field Airport (ROA) was activated in May 1930 due to the efforts of Rep. Woodrum to acquire the land and build the facility. It is named in his honor. He was also influential in getting the airport passed as "National Defense Project", opening it up to government funding for improvements. Unbeknownst to Woodrum, his daughter, Martha Ann Woodrum, took flying lessons and became a pilot, as he father did later. Rep. Woodrum was also instrumental in bringing the Salem Veterans Affairs Medical Center to his district in 1934.Salem VA Medical Center
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Electoral history

*1922; Woodrum was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives with 77.95% of the vote, defeating Republican Fred W. McWane. *1924; Woodrum was re-elected with 69.01% of the vote, defeating Republican McWane. *1926; Woodrum was re-elected unopposed. *1928; Woodrum was re-elected unopposed. *1930; Woodrum was re-elected unopposed. *1932; Woodrum was re-elected along with the Democratic slate in the at-large district; he won 8.39% of the vote in a 24-way race. *1934; Woodrum was re-elected with 67.14% of the vote, defeating Republican Thomas J. Wilson, Jr., Socialist W.L. Gibson, and Independent John Moffett Robinson. *1936; Woodrum was re-elected with 60.69% of the vote, defeating Republican T.X. Parsons. *1938; Woodrum was re-elected with 55.89% of the vote, defeating Republican McWane. *1940; Woodrum was re-elected with 68.14% of the vote, defeating Republican McWane and Socialist Lawrence S. Wilkes. *1942; Woodrum was re-elected with 93.56% of the vote, defeating Republican Stephen A. Moore. *1944; Woodrum was re-elected 69.09% of the vote, defeating Republican John Strickler.

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Woodrum, Clifton A 1887 births 1950 deaths Politicians from Roanoke, Virginia Virginia lawyers Virginia state court judges Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia 20th-century American judges 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers they have becca woodrum