Albert Lee Philpott (July 29, 1919 – September 28, 1991) was an

American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bi ...

of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. He served in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-number ...

for 33 years starting in 1958, and was its

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

from 1980 until his death.

Early and family life

Philpott was born in Philpott,

Henry County, Virginia Henry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 50,948. The county seat is usually identified as Martinsville; however, the administration building (where county offices are located an ...

, to John Elkanah Philpott and Mary Gertrude Prillaman Philpott.''Political Graveyard'' He attended public schools in Henry County, graduating from

John D. Bassett High School John D. Bassett High School, also known as Bassett Middle School, is a historic school building located at Bassett, Henry County, Virginia. It was built in 1947–1948, and is a two-story Georgian Revival style brick school building. A rear additi ...

. He went on to the

University of Richmond The University of Richmond (UR or U of R) is a private liberal arts college in Richmond, Virginia. It is a primarily undergraduate, residential institution with approximately 4,350 undergraduate and graduate students in five schools: the School ...

, getting a BA degree in 1941. After service in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he resumed legal studies at Richmond, obtaining a JD degree in 1947. In August 1941 Philpott married Katherine Apperson Spencer of Lynchburg, Virginia. They had three children, Albert Jr., Judy and Carole. Carole Philpott died in 1955.Daniels, ''New York Times'' obituaryJamerson, p. 147

Legal and political careers

Elected as

Commonwealth's Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a lo ...

for Henry County in 1951, he won re-election in 1955. In 1957, midway through his second term, he won election to the House of Delegates, a part-time position which enabled him to have a private legal practice, although he could no longer hold the prosecutorial job. In that private legal practice, Philpott represented Bassett Furniture and other companies in southwest Virginia; his cousin Joe Philpott manages the Superior Lines plant for years and before he retired in 1999 supervised thirteen Bassett factories, including two in Georgia and five in North Carolina. Philpott and another freshman, Robert L. Clark, both Democrats and members of the Byrd Organization, represented the two-member district consisting of Henry and adjoining Patrick Counties, as well as the city of Martinsville. They replaced two two-term veteran Democrats,

William F. Stone William Francis Stone (September 29, 1909 – August 18, 1973) was Virginia lawyer and member of the Virginia General Assembly representing Martinsville as well as Patrick and Henry Counties between 1954 and 1957, first as a delegate and then ...

(who was elected to the Senate of Virginia) and William F. Carter. This election took place during the period of massive resistance to racial desegregation in Virginia, led by

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Harry F. Byrd Harry Flood Byrd Sr. (June 10, 1887 – October 20, 1966) was an American newspaper publisher, politician, and leader of the Democratic Party in Virginia for four decades as head of a political faction that became known as the Byrd Organization. ...

. Philpott established himself as a supporter of continued segregation. In 1972, Philpott's district, now numbered the 13th, was expanded to a three-member district that also included

Pittsylvania County Pittsylvania County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 60,501. Chatham is the county seat. Pittsylvania County is included in the Danville, VA Micropolitan Statistical A ...

. In 1978, he became

Majority Leader In U.S. politics (as well as in some other countries utilizing the presidential system), the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.

and chair of the Corporations, Insurance and Banking Committee. Two years later, he succeeded the retiring John Warren Cooke as Speaker.

Speaker of the House

Philpott blocked a 1982 bill by Senator Douglas Wilder of Richmond to create a state holiday to honor the birthday of

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

Later that year, he publicly referred to five African-American legislators as "boys", a statement for which he apologized the next day. In 1985, when Wilder was elected the state's first African-American Lieutenant Governor, Philpott provided an early endorsement that Wilder later called a "turning point" in the campaign.

Death

Philpott suffered from various forms of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

for nearly twenty years. On September 24, 1991, he announced he would not continue serving in the House of Delegates. He died at his home on September 28 at the age of 72. He was buried in Roselawn Burial Park in Martinsville. In 1992, the Virginia General Assembly created the A. L. Philpott Manufacturing Center, initially charged with various responsibilities for retraining displaced workers and developing manufacturing technologies in Southside Virginia. In 1997, it was renamed Virginia's A. L. Philpott Manufacturing Extension Partnership (VPMEP) and its mission was expanded to help create and maintain industrial and manufacturing jobs throughout the Commonwealth as part of the NIST MEP network.

Notes

References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Philpott, Albert Lee 1919 births 1991 deaths 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American politicians Speakers of the Virginia House of Delegates Democratic Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates County and city Commonwealth's Attorneys in Virginia University of Richmond alumni University of Richmond School of Law alumni People from Henry County, Virginia People from Bassett, Virginia