Armistead L. Boothe
| Armisted L. Boothe | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Virginia Senate from the 36th district |
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In office January , 1955 – January 7, 1964 |
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| Preceded by | (newly created) |
| Succeeded by | Leroy S. Bendheim |
| Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Alexandria | |
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In office January , 1948 – January 8, 1955 |
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| Succeeded by | James McIlhany Thomson |
| Preceded by | W. Selden Washington |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 23, 1907 Alexandria, Virginia |
| Died | February 14, 1990 (aged 82) Falls Church, Virginia |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Ravenel Peelle |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents | Gardner Lloyd Boothe, Eleanor Harrison Carr Boothe |
| Relatives | Episcopalian |
| Profession | Attorney |
Armistead Lloyd Boothe (September 23, 1907 – February 14, 1990) was a Virginia Democratic legislator representing Alexandria, Virginia: first as a delegate in the Virginia General Assembly and later as a State Senator from the newly created 36th District. A lifelong Democrat, Boothe helped lead his party's progressive faction, particularly as they opposed the Byrd Organization's policy of Massive Resistance to racial integration in Virginia's public schools.
Boothe was born in Alexandria, Virginia on September 23, 1907 to Gardner Lloyd and Eleanor Harrison Carr Boothe. He attended Episcopal High School and graduated from the University of Virginia, receiving his A.B. in 1928. He was chosen as a Rhodes scholar in 1929 and received a B.A. in Jurisprudence from Oxford University in 1931.
In 1934 Boothe married Elizabeth Ravenel Peelle of Washington, D.C. and they ultimately had three daughters, Julie Perry, Eleanor Smith and Elizabeth Davis.
Admitted to the Virginia bar in October 1931, Boothe began practicing law with his father, Gardner L. Boothe's Alexandria firm: Boothe, Dudley, Koontz, Blakenship & Stump. He served as a lawyer for the United States Department of Justice from 1934–1936, and was Alexandria City Attorney from 1938-1943.
Boothe left Alexandria to serve as a naval air combat intelligence officer through the United States Naval Reserve. He served in the Pacific Theater during World War II (1939–1945), then returned to private practice.
Boothe was elected to his first term in the Virginia House of Delegates (a part-time position) in 1948, and was re-elected until 1955, when he ran for State Senate, also from Alexandria, Virginia. From 1956-1963 Boothe served in the State Senate, in newly created (because of census changes) District 36. Boothe was classified as a "militant moderate" or "Young Turk", one of a group challenging the Byrd Organization of conservative, mainly rural Democrats led by U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd. In 1948, Boothe derailed an attempt by Byrd forces to keep Harry S Truman off the Presidential ballot in Virginia. In 1950 he introduced bills to create a state civil rights commission and repeal laws segregating transportation.
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