Thomas J. Bliley Jr.
| Thomas J. Bliley Jr. | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 7th district |
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In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2001 |
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| Preceded by | George Allen |
| Succeeded by | Eric Cantor |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 3rd district |
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In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1993 |
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| Preceded by | David E. Satterfield III |
| Succeeded by | Robert C. Scott |
| Chairman of the House Commerce Committee | |
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In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2001 |
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| Preceded by | John Dingell |
| Succeeded by | Billy Tauzin |
| 69th Mayor of Richmond, Virginia | |
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In office July 1, 1970 – March 7, 1977 |
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| Preceded by | Phil Bagley |
| Succeeded by | Henry L. Marsh III |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Thomas Jerome Bliley Jr. January 28, 1932 Chesterfield County, Virginia |
| Political party | Republican (after 1980) |
| Other political affiliations |
Democratic (before 1980) |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Virginia Kelley; 2 children |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Thomas Jerome "Tom" Bliley Jr. (born January 28, 1932) is a United States Republican politician and former U.S. Representative from the state of Virginia.
Bliley was born on January 28, 1932, in Chesterfield County, Virginia. He attended private Catholic schools and graduated in 1948 at the age of 16 from Benedictine High School in Richmond, Virginia.
In 1952, Bliley earned a B.A. in Political Science from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.. He subsequently served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy from 1952 to 1955. He worked as a funeral director for Joseph W. Bliley Co. Funeral Home, a family business, eventually serving as President.
Bliley, a practicing Roman Catholic, is married to the former Mary Virginia Kelley and is the father of two. He has four grandchildren, a step-grandson and two greatgrandsons.
In 1968, Bliley was elected vice-mayor of Richmond. He held that post until 1970, when he successfully ran for mayor, a position he held until 1977. Bliley grew up as a conservative Southern Democrat, but became a Republican sometime after his term as mayor. In 1980, Bliley won the Republican nomination for Congress representing Virginia’s 3rd congressional district after 12-year incumbent David Satterfield announced his retirement. He won by a large margin, becoming the first Republican to win an undisputed victory in the district since Reconstruction. (In 1890, the House awarded Republican Edmund Waddill the seat after a disputed election.) The 3rd, however, had been trending Republican for some time at the national level. It had been one of the first areas of Virginia where the old Byrd Democrats started splitting their tickets and voting Republican, and had not supported a Democrat for president since 1948.
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