Charles Clifton Virts Jr. (March 3, 1910 – March 28, 1985) was an American politician and lawyer from Maryland. He served as a member of the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the Maryland General Assembly, legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House ...

, representing Frederick County and district 3B from 1947 to 1978.

Early life

Charles Clifton Virts Jr. was born on March 3, 1910, in

Leesburg, Virginia Leesburg is a town in and the county seat of Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. It is part of both the Northern Virginia region of the state and the Washington metropolitan area, including Washington, D.C., the nation's capital. European se ...

, to Maude and C. Clifton Virts. At the age of 9, he lost his eyesight after a dynamite cap exploded in his face. He attended Leesburg public school. In 1926, his family moved to

Frederick, Maryland Frederick is a city in, and the county seat of, Frederick County, Maryland, United States. Frederick's population was 78,171 people as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Maryland, second-largest ...

. He graduated from the

Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind The Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind, located in Staunton, Virginia, United States, is an institution for educating deaf and blind children, first established in 1839 by an act of the Virginia General Assembly. The school accepts chil ...

in 1930. He attended the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

. He graduated from the

University of Maryland School of Law The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law (formerly University of Maryland School of Law from 1924 to 2011) is the law school of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and is located in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1816, it i ...

in 1940 and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in the same year.

Career

On April 8, 1941, Virts began practicing law in Frederick. He continued practicing law for the remainder of his life. He was president of the Frederick County Bar Association in 1959 and 1960. He was also an equity examiner for Frederick County. Virts was a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

. He served as a member of the

, representing Frederick County from 1947 to 1978. He represented Frederick County from 1947 to 1974. He represented District 3B from 1975 to 1978. While in session, he was known for his

guide dog Guide dogs (colloquially known in the US as seeing-eye dogs) are assistance dogs trained to lead people who are blind or visually impaired around obstacles. Although dogs can be trained to navigate various obstacles, they are red–green c ...

sitting next to him in the aisle. Governor J. Millard Tawes appointed Virts to the State Parks Commission. In 1965 and 1966, Virts was chairman of the Fort Detrick Boy Scouts. He was a member of the Frederick Lions Club and later the Yellow Springs Lions Club.

Personal life

Virts married Stella Anne Overman, daughter of William Samuel Overman, of

Elizabeth City, North Carolina Elizabeth City is a city in Pasquotank County, North Carolina, Pasquotank county, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 18,629. Elizabeth City is the county seat and most populous city of Pasqu ...

, in 1942. They had one son and one daughter, Charles Clifton III and Nancy. He taught Bible school for All Saints Episcopal Church in Frederick. Virts died on March 28, 1985, at Frederick Memorial Hospital.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Virts, C. Clifton 1910 births 1985 deaths People from Leesburg, Virginia People from Frederick, Maryland University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law alumni Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates Maryland lawyers Blind politicians Blind lawyers American blind people 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century members of the Maryland General Assembly American politicians with disabilities American lawyers with disabilities