John Chandlee Astle (born March 31, 1943) is an American politician from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

and a member of the Democratic Party. He served four terms in 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 ...

and three terms in 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 Maryland's district 30 in

Anne Arundel County Anne Arundel County (; ), also notated as AA or A.A. County, is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 588,261, an increase of just under 10% since 2010. Its county seat is Annapolis, wh ...

Background

Astle was born in

Charles Town, West Virginia Charles Town is a city in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 6,534 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The city is named for its founder Charles Washington, youngest brother of Pres ...

, and grew up in Barboursville. He graduated in 1966 from

Marshall University Marshall University is a public university, public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1837 and is named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States, chief justice of the Uni ...

Huntington, West Virginia Huntington is a city in Cabell County, West Virginia, Cabell and Wayne County, West Virginia, Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The County seat, seat of Cabell County, the city is located at the confluence of the Ohio River, O ...

, and attended the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Catholic research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is one of two pontifical universities of the Catholic Church in the United States – the only one that is not primarily a ...

Military service — United States Marine Corps

He joined the

United States Marine Corps Reserve The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Corps Reserve is an expedit ...

in 1961 and received a commission as an officer in the Marine Corps through its Platoon Leaders Class program upon graduation from Marshall. He was a Naval Aviator flying helicopters and left active duty with the rank of captain. He also flew the presidential helicopter for three and a half years. He retired from the Marine Corps Reserves as a colonel after 30 years of service. He saw combat in Vietnam, earning 34 Air Medals and 2

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

s. He was recalled to active duty for

Desert Storm , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

Political career

Astle was originally elected to the

in 1982. He was elected to the State Senate in 1994 and was Vice-Chair of the Senate Finance Committee from 2003 to 2019. Astle ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Annapolis in 2017, losing in the Democratic primary. Astle also ran for mayor in 1981, losing by 243 votes in the general election.

Election results

*1990 race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 30 ::Voters to choose three: :

References

1943 births Living people Democratic Party Maryland state senators Catholic University of America alumni Marshall University alumni Recipients of the Legion of Merit Aviators from West Virginia Military personnel from Charles Town, West Virginia People from Barboursville, West Virginia United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War United States Marine Corps personnel of the Gulf War People from Anne Arundel County, Maryland Politicians from Charles Town, West Virginia United States Marine Corps reservists United States Marine Corps colonels United States Naval Aviators 20th-century members of the Maryland General Assembly 21st-century members of the Maryland General Assembly {{Maryland-politician-stub