G. William Whitehurst

George William "Dr. Bill" Whitehurst was born in Norfolk, Virginia on March 12, 1925. Graduating from Maury High School in 1942, he served in the United States Navy as an aviation radioman in the Pacific Theater, from 1943 to 1946.[2]

Whitehurst received his bachelor's degree in history from Washington and Lee University in 1950, and his master's degree, also in history, from the University of Virginia in 1951. In 1962, Whitehurst received his Ph.D. in American Diplomatic History from West Virginia University.[1] While attending Washington and Lee University he joined the Delta Upsilon fraternity. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Delta Upsilon fraternity. He was an active faculty member at the Norfolk Division of William & Mary in 1950, and was on hand when the Division became an autonomous four-year institution, Old Dominion College, in 1962. He stepped down in 1968 to run for Congress.[2]

1969, Congressional Pictorial Directory, Whitehurst as a first term Congressman

Whitehurst was elected to Congress in 1968 as a Republican from a district based in the Hampton Roads area. He was the first Republican to represent that part of Virginia since the Great Depression,[3] and only the second Republican elected to a full term from that district in the 20th century.

He was re-elected eight more times without serious difficulty. In 1974, for instance, even as Republicans were swept out in the face of voter anger over Watergate, Whitehurst still won comfortably with almost 60 percent of the vote. The Democrats didn't even put up a candidate from 1978 to 1984, and on three of those occasions Whitehurst was completely unopposed. In 1986, Whitehurst stated his support of naturalization of Filipinos who were serving in the United States Navy.[4] He retired in 1987 after declining to run for a tenth term.

For most of his tenure in Congress, he served on the Armed Services Committee. He also served on the Select Committee on Intelligence and the Ethics Committee.

After his service in Congress, Whitehurst returned as a faculty member at Old Dominion University in 1987, where he still teaches.[2]

He also served for many years as an analyst for WTKR in Norfolk.[2] He is also an active United Methodist and has served on the Board of Visitors of the Tidewater Wesley Foundation, the United Methodist Campus Ministry at Old Dominion University, for many years.[5]

On October 6, 2016, Whitehurst, along with other Republican former members of Congress, was co-signator of a letter opposing Donald J. Trump's candidacy for the office of president.[6] Although the letter did not officially endorse Hillary Rodham Clinton or any other candidate, it did state that "our party’s nominee this year is a man who makes a mockery of the principles and values we have cherished and which we sought to represent in Congress.”[7]

On August 24, 2020, Whitehurst was one of 24 former Republican lawmakers to endorse Democratic nominee Joe Biden on the opening day of the Republican National Convention.[8]

• Whitehurst, G. William. Diary of a Congressman. 2 vols. Norfolk: The Donning Company, 1983, 1985.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to G. William Whitehurst.

• Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile, Old Dominion University
• Alumni Recognition Award Recipients for 2004, West Virginia University
• Appearances on C-SPAN