Lewis Franklin (L.F.) Payne Jr. (born July 9, 1945) is an American businessman, politician and lobbyist who served as a member of 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 ...

from the Commonwealth of

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 ...

from 1988 to 1997. He served the of the state, which covers much of Southside Virginia.

Biography

Payne was born in

Amherst, Virginia Amherst (formerly Dearborn) is a town in Amherst County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,231 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Amherst County. Amherst is part of the Lynchburg Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Amher ...

. He is a graduate of the

Virginia Military Institute la, Consilio et Animis (on seal) , mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal) , established = , type = Public senior military college , accreditation = SACS , endowment = $696.8 mill ...

and is a veteran and former officer of the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

. He also earned an

M.B.A. A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as account ...

from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

. Prior to entering Congress, he was the founder and president of Wintergreen Resort. Payne was elected as a

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 ...

to the

100th United States Congress 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

, in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Representative Dan Daniel. Payne legislated as a conservative Democrat and was reelected to the four succeeding Congresses (serving from June 14, 1988 to January 3, 1997). In 1994, his share of the vote fell sharply. Payne retired from Congress in 1997 and ran for lieutenant governor in that same year. He lost a close general election contest to John H. Hager, failing to overcome the tide of Jim Gilmore's gubernatorial victory over Democrat

Don Beyer Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. (; born June 20, 1950) is an American businessman, diplomat, and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, his district is in the heart of Northern Virginia and in ...

. He then joined McGuireWoods Consulting, a Washington, D.C., government relations and lobbying firm associated with the Richmond-based law firm McGuireWoods, LLP.

Electoral history

*1988; Payne was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives with 59.3% of the vote in a special election, defeating Republican Linda L. Arey; Payne was re-elected with 54.19% of the vote in the general election, defeating Republican Charles Robert Hawkins and Independent J.F. Cole. *1990; Payne was re-elected unopposed. *1992; Payne was re-elected with 68.9% of the vote, defeating Republican W.A. Hurlburt *1994; Payne was re-elected with 53.28% of the vote, defeating Republican George C. Landrith.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Payne, Lewis F. Jr. 1945 births Living people People from Amherst, Virginia Virginia Military Institute alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia University of Virginia Darden School of Business alumni United States Army officers McGuireWoods people