D. Woodrow Bird

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D. Woodrow Bird
Member of the Virginia Senate
from the 17th district
In office
January 12, 1966 – January 12, 1972
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Member of the Virginia Senate
from the 18th district
In office
January 8, 1964 – January 12, 1966
Preceded byGeorge F. Barnes
Succeeded by
Member of the Virginia Senate
from the 19th district
In office
January 11, 1956 – January 8, 1964
Succeeded by
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates for Bland and Giles
In office
January 14, 1948 – January 11, 1956
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Personal details
Born
Daniel Woodrow Bird

(1912-07-06)July 6, 1912
Bland, Virginia, U.S.
DiedNovember 16, 1995(1995-11-16) (aged 83)
Bland, Virginia, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
Elizabeth Kegley Dunn
​
​
(m. 1936)​

Daniel Woodrow Bird Sr. (July 6, 1912 – November 16, 1995) was an American farmer and politician who served in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly. He is best remembered for his pioneering work in establishing community colleges in Virginia which became a model for the rest of the United States.

Career[]

Bird was a member of the Democratic Party and was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1947.[1] He remained in that position until January 1956 when he became a state senator. He worked as a senator for the next 15 years; ending his career in 1971 when he chose not to seek reelection.[1] He served as chairman of the Higher Education Study Commission from 1964 through 1966. In that position he played an instrumental role in establishing Virginia's statewide system of community colleges; a success which became a national model.[1]

In the 1950s Bird served as chairman of the Virginia Senate Education Committee during the era of desegregation in the United States.[1] The Washington Post stated, that he "once cast the swing vote to keep the state's public schools open and allow integration to move forward, rather than risk the complete shutdown of the system."[1] At the time of his retirement in 1971, he was chairman of the Senate's agriculture committee.[2]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e "DANIEL BIRD DIES". The Washington Post. November 18, 1995.
  2. ^ "State Farm Bureau Presents Service Award to Sen. Bird". Daily Press. November 19, 1971. p. 56. Retrieved May 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.

External links[]

  • D. Woodrow Bird at The Virginia Elections and State Elected Officials Database Project, 1776-2007
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