Robert Williams Daniel, Jr. (March 17, 1936 – February 4, 2012) was an American farmer, businessman, teacher, and politician from Virginia who served five terms in the

U.S. House of Representatives 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 ...

as a Republican. He was first elected in 1972 and served until 1983.

Biography

Early life

Daniel was born in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

. He was the son of

Robert Williams Daniel Robert Williams Daniel (September 11, 1884 – December 20, 1940) was an American banker who survived the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic'' in 1912, and later became a gentleman farmer and served in the Virginia Senate. Early and family l ...

, a bank executive who survived the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic'' in 1912, and later served in the

Senate of Virginia The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Vir ...

, and his third wife Charlotte Randolph Christian (née Bemiss). His father died when he was four years old. He was a descendant of Peter V. Daniel, an

Associate Justice An associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some ...

of the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

, and

Edmund Randolph Edmund Jennings Randolph (August 10, 1753 September 12, 1813) was a Founding Father of the United States, attorney, and the seventh Governor of Virginia. As a delegate from Virginia, he attended the Constitutional Convention and helped to cre ...

, who was the seventh

Governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. The Governor (United States), governor is head of the Government_of_Virginia#Executive_branch, executive branch ...

, the first

Attorney General of the United States The United States attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government. The attorney general acts as the principal legal advisor to the president of the ...

, and the second Secretary of State. He graduated from the

Fay School Fay School, founded in 1866 by the Fay sisters, is an independent, coeducational day and boarding school located in Southborough, Massachusetts. History Founding and early years Fay School was founded in 1866 by sisters Eliza Burnett Fay ...

Southborough, Massachusetts Southborough is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It incorporates the villages of Cordaville, Fayville, and Southville. Its name is often informally shortened to Southboro, a usage seen on many area signs and maps. At th ...

, and

Woodberry Forest School Woodberry Forest School is a private, all-male boarding school located in Woodberry Forest, Madison County, Virginia, in the United States. Woodberry's current enrollment is 391. Students come from 34 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and 36 coun ...

, in

Woodberry Forest, Virginia Woodberry Forest School is a private, all-male boarding school located in Woodberry Forest, Madison County, Virginia, in the United States. Woodberry's current enrollment is 391. Students come from 34 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and 36 coun ...

. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from 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 ...

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the county seat, seat of government of Albemarle County, Virginia, Albemarle County, which surrounds the ...

, where he was a member of

Phi Kappa Psi Phi Kappa Psi (), commonly known as Phi Psi, is an American collegiate social fraternity that was founded at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania in 1852. The fraternity has over ninety chapters at accredited four-year colleges and uni ...

. He then received a

Masters in Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

Career

Daniel worked for a time as a financial analyst, later teaching Economics at 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 ...

. He served in 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 ...

and

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

from 1964 to 1968, when he returned home to take over the management of Brandon Plantation after the death of his mother. Daniel had grown up as a

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 ...

like his father, but became a Republican sometime in the 1960s, a time when many

Southern Democrats Southern Democrats are members of the U.S. Democratic Party who reside in the Southern United States. Before the American Civil War, Southern Democrats mostly believed in Jacksonian democracy. In the 19th century, they defended slavery in the ...

, dissatisfied with the policies of

desegregation Racial integration, or simply integration, includes desegregation (the process of ending systematic racial segregation), leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws ...

, left the Democratic Party. In 1972, Daniel, who was then serving on the

Prince George County Prince George County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,010. Its county seat is Prince George. Prince George County is located within the Greater Richmond Region of the U.S. sta ...

Planning Commission, ran for the open seat in after a redistricting controversy and the retirement of longtime incumbent

Watkins Abbitt Watkins "Wat" Moorman Abbitt (May 21, 1908 – July 13, 1998) was an American politician and lawyer. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia from February 17, 1948 to January 3, 1973. He was a top lieutenant w ...

. He won in the five-candidate general election, becoming the first Republican to represent this district since the end of the

Reconstruction Era The Reconstruction era was a period in History of the United States, US history that followed the American Civil War (1861-65) and was dominated by the legal, social, and political challenges of the Abolitionism in the United States, abol ...

. While in Congress, Daniel was a member of 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 ...

and various subcommittees. He was defeated in his bid for a sixth term by

Norman Sisisky Norman Sisisky (June 9, 1927 – March 29, 2001) was an American businessman and politician who was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia from 1983 until his death in 2001, representing the 4th Distri ...

in 1982. He served as deputy assistant

Secretary of Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

from 1984 to 1986, and director of intelligence for the

Department of Energy A ministry of energy or department of energy is a government department in some countries that typically oversees the production of fuel and electricity; in the United States, however, it manages nuclear weapons development and conducts energy-rela ...

from 1990 to 1993. He was a recipient of the

National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal The National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal (NIDSM) is a decoration awarded for service to the United States Intelligence Community. The decoration is awarded to any member or contributor to the National Intelligence Community, either ...

Personal life

He was the owner and operator of Brandon Plantation, in

Prince George, Virginia Prince George is a census-designated place (CDP) in and the county seat of Prince George County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2020 Census was 2,315. It is in the metro area of Richmond, Virginia. The elevation is at 131 fe ...

, a U.S.

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

and one of the oldest continuous agricultural operations in the United States. Daniel was married twice. He had three children with his first wife, Sally (born Sally Lewis Chase). He was a member of The Commonwealth Club in Richmond and the

Knickerbocker Club The Knickerbocker Club (known informally as The Knick) is a gentlemen's club in New York City that was founded in 1871. It is considered to be the most exclusive club in the United States and one of the most Aristocracy (class), aristocratic gent ...

in New York City. Daniel died of a heart attack at his

Jupiter Island, Florida Jupiter Island is a town located on the barrier island also called Jupiter Island, in Martin County, Florida, United States; the town is part of Florida's Treasure Coast. It is part of the Port St. Lucie metropolitan area. The Town of Jupiter ...

, vacation home on February 4, 2012, and was buried with military honors at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond. He was survived by his second wife, Linda, and his two daughters. His son, Robert Williams Daniel, III, predeceased him.

Electoral history

*1972; Daniel was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives with 55.67% of the vote, defeating Democrat Robert E. Gibson and Independents Robert R. Hardy, William E. Ward, and John G. Vonetes. *1974; Daniel was re-elected with 47.21% of the vote, defeating Democrat Lester E. Schlitz and Independent Curtis W. Harris. *1976; Daniel was re-elected with 53.03% of the vote, defeating Democrat Joseph William O'Brien, Jr. *1978; Daniel was re-elected unopposed. *1980; Daniel was re-elected with 60.7% of the vote, defeating Democrat Cecil Y. Jenkins. *1982; Daniel lost his re-election bid to Democrat

References

External links

Stennis Center Biography, Robert W. Daniel, Jr.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daniel, Robert Williams Jr. 1936 births 2012 deaths United States Army officers People of the Central Intelligence Agency Columbia Business School alumni The Cavalier Daily Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia Randolph family (Virginia) Woodberry Forest School alumni Politicians from Richmond, Virginia American Episcopalians Burials at Hollywood Cemetery (Richmond, Virginia) Businesspeople from Richmond, Virginia Fay School alumni People from Prince George, Virginia Military personnel from Richmond, Virginia 20th-century Virginia politicians 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives