Itimous Thaddeus "Tim" Valentine Jr. (March 15, 1926 – November 10, 2015) was a

Democratic 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 (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

member of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina from 1983 to 1995.

Early life

Valentine was born on March 15, 1926, in

Rocky Mount, North Carolina Rocky Mount is a city in Edgecombe County, North Carolina, Edgecombe and Nash County, North Carolina, Nash counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The city's population was 54,341 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it ...

, and attended

public schools Public school may refer to: *State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government *Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England and ...

. His father, also named Itimous and known by that name (he was one of several brothers with unusual names of unknown origin), was a State Supreme Court justice. His mother, the former Hazel Armstrong, was a postmistress. His uncle was United States Air Force Lieutenant General

Frank A. Armstrong Frank Alton Armstrong Jr. (May 24, 1902 – August 20, 1969) was a lieutenant general of the United States Air Force. As a brigadier general in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, he was the inspiration for the main character in ...

. During World War II he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and served on active duty from 1944 to 1946. He graduated from The Citadel in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

, in 1948, and graduated from the

law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1952, being admitted to the North Carolina bar that same year. He practiced law with a firm bearing his family name in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

Political career

Valentine served in the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the North Ca ...

from 1955 to 1960. Thereafter, he was an advisor and counsel to Governor Dan K. Moore and later chaired the executive committee of the

North Carolina Democratic Party The North Carolina Democratic Party (NCDP) is the North Carolina affiliate of the Democratic Party. It is headquartered in the historic Goodwin House, located in Raleigh. Governor Roy Cooper is a North Carolina Democrat. Since the 2010 passage of ...

(1966–1968). He was a delegate to the

1968 Democratic National Convention The 1968 Democratic National Convention was held August 26–29 at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Earlier that year incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson had announced he would not seek reelection, thus making ...

. In 1982 he was elected to Congress from North Carolina's 2nd congressional district and served six terms in the House of Representatives. He did not stand for re-election in 1994 and retired from elected office when his term expired in January 1995. A portion of U.S. 64 near Nashville is named for him in recognition of his public service.

Personal life

Valentine was survived by Barbara Reynolds, four children from his first marriage to Betsy, including talk radio host Phil Valentine; three stepchildren; nine grandchildren; five step-grandchildren; and a step-great-grandson. Valentine died at his home in Nashville on November 10, 2015, from heart failure at the age of 89. His death came one week after the death of a Republican former colleague, Howard Coble of North Carolina's 6th congressional district.

References

External links

Retrieved on 2008-0
U.S. Congress Biographical Directory entryNC Spin profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Valentine, Tim 1926 births 2015 deaths People from Nashville, North Carolina People from Rocky Mount, North Carolina The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina alumni University of North Carolina School of Law alumni Democratic Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives North Carolina Democratic Party chairs North Carolina lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers