David Edward Satterfield III (December 2, 1920 – September 30, 1988) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician who served in eight consecutive terms in

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from Virginia's 3rd congressional district (1965–1981). His father, Dave E. Satterfield, Jr., served in the House of Representatives from 1937–1945.

Early and family life

Born in Richmond, Virginia, Satterfield was educated in the then-segregated

Richmond Public Schools Richmond Public Schools is a public school district located in the independent city of Richmond, Virginia. It is occasionally described locally as Richmond City Public Schools to emphasize its connection to the independent city rather than the ...

and at private, all-boys St. Christopher's School in Richmond. He then attended the

University of Richmond The University of Richmond (UR or U of R) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Richmond, Virginia, United States. It is a primarily undergraduate, residential institution with approxim ...

and law school at the

University of Virginia Law School The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 as part of his "academical village", and now ...

in Charlottesville, Virginia. He married Annie E. Powell.

Military service

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, while his father served in the U.S. House of Representatives, Satterfield volunteered for military service and became a fighter pilot with the United States Navy. Following the war, he used the

GI Bill The G.I. Bill, formally the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, but the te ...

to complete his education, and continued in the Naval Air Reserve, rising to the rank of commander.

Career

After admission to the Virginia bar in 1948 and a brief stint in private practice, Satterfield served as an assistant

United States attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

from 1950–1953. As the state's Massive Resistance crisis began following the United States Supreme Court decisions in

Brown v. Board of Education ''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the ...

and its allied cases (including one from Virginia), Satterfield resigned his federal job and resumed private legal practice. Satterfield then followed his late father's career with the Democratic party and won his first elective office, to the (then-all-at-large) Richmond City Council, where he served from 1954–1956. Satterfield then won election to the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses 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-numbe ...

, serving from 1960–1964. That was (and remains) a part-time position, and he in a way succeeded fellow Navy veteran and St. Christopher's School alumnus

FitzGerald Bemiss FitzGerald Bemiss, also known as Gerry Bemiss, (October 2, 1922 – February 7, 2011) was an American businessman and philanthropist who also served in the Virginia General Assembly, representing the City of Richmond, Virginia, in first the House ...

in the then multi-member district. Satterfield ran for Congress in the Richmond-based 3rd District in 1964 after 20-year incumbent

J. Vaughan Gary Julian Vaughan Gary (February 25, 1892 – September 6, 1973) was a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Virginia. Biography Born in Richmond, Virginia, Gary was a graduate of the University of Richmond (B.A., 19 ...

retired. Satterfield defeated Republican Richard Obenshain, who would later go on to become state party chairman, by only 654 votes. Obenshain nearly won on the strength of

Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and major general in the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve who served as a United States senator from 1953 to 1965 and 1969 to 1987, and was the Re ...

carrying the district; Goldwater won every county-level jurisdiction in the district except for the city of Richmond. This was the second straight contest in which the Republicans nearly ended the long run of Democratic dominance in the district; two years earlier Gary had only survived by 348 votes. The district reverted to form, and Satterfield was reelected seven more times without serious difficulty, despite the collapse of the

Byrd Organization The Byrd machine, or Byrd Organization, was a political machine of the Democratic Party led by former Governor and U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd (1887–1966) that dominated Virginia politics for much of the 20th century. From the 1890s until the ...

, running unopposed in 1966 and 1972 and only facing an independent in 1976 and 1978. This came even in years when Republican presidential candidates carried the district handily. However, he decided not to seek re-election in 1980, and concentrated on his legal practice in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, and

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...

. He 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 both

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

and the

District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

. He practiced law in Richmond, and, after he left Congress, in Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Virginia, although he continued to reside in Richmond until he died in 1988.

Electoral history

*1964; Satterfield was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives with 34.48% of the vote, defeating Republican Richard D. Obenshain and Independents Edward E. Haddock and Stanley Smith. *1966; Satterfield was re-elected unopposed. *1968; Satterfield was re-elected with 60.25% of the vote, defeating Republican John S. Hansen. *1970; Satterfield was re-elected with 67.24% of the vote, defeating Republican

J. Harvie Wilkinson III James Harvie Wilkinson III (born September 29, 1944) is an American attorney and jurist who has served as a United States circuit judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit since 1984. He was appointed to the Fourth Circuit by Pre ...

and Independent Mrs. Ulrich Troubetskoy. *1972; Satterfield was re-elected unopposed. *1974; Satterfield was re-elected with 88.53% of the vote, defeating Independent Alan R. Ogden. *1976; Satterfield was re-elected with 88.06% of the vote, defeating Independent Ogden. *1978; Satterfield was re-elected with 87.85% of the vote, defeating Independent Ogden.

References

External links

Virginia General Assembly biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Satterfield, David E., Iii Virginia lawyers United States Navy officers University of Virginia School of Law alumni University of Richmond alumni Democratic Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates Politicians from Richmond, Virginia 1920 births 1988 deaths United States Navy pilots of World War II Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia 20th-century American lawyers Lawyers from Richmond, Virginia 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly