Goodloe Edgar Byron (June 22, 1929 – October 11, 1978) was an American Democratic politician who was the member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

for

Maryland's 6th congressional district Maryland's 6th congressional district elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives from the northwest part of the state. The district comprises all of Garrett, Allegany, Frederick, and Washington counties as well as a po ...

from 1971 until his death. He was succeeded by his widow,

Beverly Byron Beverly Barton Byron (née Butcher; July 27, 1932 – February 9, 2025) was an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as the U.S. Congresswoman representing the 6th congressional district of Maryland from January 3, ...

Career

Byron attended The JAG School at 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 ...

and entered U.S. Army JAG Corps. He served as a member of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

Judge Advocate General's Corps The Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG or JAG Corps) is the military justice branch or specialty of the United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy. Officers serving in the JAG Corps are typically called judge advocates ...

from 1953 to 1957, honorably discharged with the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. He earned his JD from

The George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a private federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress and is the first ...

He later was elected to 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 ...

(1963–1967) and the

Maryland State Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single ...

(1967–1971). His parents, William D. Byron and

Katharine Byron Katharine Byron (née Edgar; October 25, 1903 – December 28, 1976), a Democrat, was a U.S. Congresswoman who represented the 6th congressional district of Maryland from May 27, 1941, to January 3, 1943. She was the first woman elected to Con ...

, both served as 6th district representative, from 1939 to 1941 and 1941 to 1943, respectively. The Byron family were communicants of Saint John's Church, Hagerstown.

U.S. Congress

Byron first ran for Congress in 1968, though he lost to Republican incumbent

J. Glenn Beall Jr. John Glenn Beall Jr. (June 19, 1927March 24, 2006) was an American politician and businessman from the U.S. state of Maryland. A member of the Republican Party, he served in both chambers of the United States Congress for one term each, a membe ...

Beall did not seek re-election in 1970, and Byron was elected to the open seat. He was initially viewed as a highly

conservative Democrat In American politics, a conservative Democrat is a member of the Democratic Party with more conservative views than most Democrats. Traditionally, conservative Democrats have been elected to office from the Southern states, rural areas, and t ...

, particularly on environmental issues.

Environmental Action Environmental Action is a 501(c)(4) non-profit environmental advocacy organization in the United States. Founded in 1970 by environmental activists at the first Earth Day, it operated until 1996 but was then rebooted in 2012 as part of the Publi ...

placed him on their list of the "Dirty Dozen" members of Congress who they felt were particularly hostile towards their cause. This led to a challenge in the 1976 Democratic primary from Dan Rupli, who nearly defeated Byron. Thereafter, Byron moderated his environmental positions, supporting some conservationist measures, though he continued to be viewed as a conservative overall. In Congress, he served on the

House Armed Services Committee The U.S. House Committee on Armed Services, commonly known as the House Armed Services Committee or HASC, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is responsible for funding and oversight of the Department of ...

in his final term.

Death

On October 11, 1978, Byron suffered a fatal

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

while he was jogging with an aide alongside the

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal and occasionally called the Grand Old Ditch, operated from 1831 until 1924 along the Potomac River between Washington, D.C., and Cumberland, Maryland. It replaced the Patowmack Canal ...

in western Maryland.

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

Obituary for Rep. Goodloe Byron
published on page 27 of the October 12, 1978, edition of the ''

Toledo Blade ''The Blade'', also known as the ''Toledo Blade'', is a newspaper in Toledo, Ohio, published daily online and printed Thursday and Sunday by Block Communications. The newspaper was first published on December 19, 1835. Overview The first issu ...

''. Retrieved on June 27, 2012. He was pronounced dead at Washington County Hospital in

Hagerstown Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland, United States, and its county seat. The population was 43,527 at the 2020 census. Hagerstown ranks as Maryland's sixth-most populous incorporated city and is the most populous city in the ...

, at the age of 49. Byron was buried in the Antietam National Cemetery in

Sharpsburg, Maryland Sharpsburg is a town in Washington County, Maryland. The town is approximately south of Hagerstown. Its population was 560 at the 2020 census. During the American Civil War, the Battle of Antietam, referred to as the Battle of Sharpsburg by th ...

. Byron was intrigued by the now widely discredited claim of Thomas J. Bassler, MD that nonsmokers able to complete a

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

in under four hours can eat whatever they wish and never suffer a fatal

. According to

nutritionist A nutritionist is a person who advises others on matters of food and Human nutrition, nutrition and their impacts on health. Some people specialize in particular areas, such as sports nutrition, public health, or animal nutrition, among other disci ...

and longevity research pioneer

Nathan Pritikin Nathan Pritikin (August 29, 1915 – February 21, 1985) was an American inventor, engineer, nutritionist and longevity researcher. He promoted the Pritikin diet, a high-carbohydrate low-fat plant-based diet combined with regular aerobic exercise ...

, Byron had run six

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by eight cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was ins ...

s, with a best time of 3:28:40, and had not smoked for 25 years. He ignored warnings from his physician who told him that treadmill tests from 1974 to 1978 indicated his coronary arteries were gradually closing. The last treadmill test in January 1978 "indicated severe abnormality and was positive for heart disease." The physician advised Byron to stop running until further tests could be done. Dr. Manuel G. Jimenez, who did the autopsy, said Byron had "only pinprick openings" in his coronary arteries because they were filled with cholesterol. "Congressman Byron's coronary arteries were worse than most I've autopsied."

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Byron, Goodloe 1929 births 1978 deaths 20th-century American lawyers G Democratic Party Maryland state senators Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland Episcopalians from Maryland George Washington University Law School alumni Maryland lawyers Military personnel from Maryland People from Williamsport, Maryland Politicians from Frederick, Maryland Politicians from Hagerstown, Maryland United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps United States Army officers University of Virginia alumni 20th-century members of the Maryland General Assembly 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives

Career

U.S. Congress

Death

See also

References

External links