Omer L. Hirst
Omer L. Hirst | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Richard L. Saslaw | |
| Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the Falls Church and Fairfax, Virginia district | |
| In office January 13, 1954 – January 12, 1960 | |
| Preceded by | Edwin Lynch |
| Succeeded by | Dorothy S. McDiarmid |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 30, 1913 Arlington, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Ann Palmer Nancy Hand |
| Alma mater | Washington and Lee University |
Omer Lee Hirst (July 13, 1915 – July 29, 2003) was an American real estate broker, investor and Democratic politician who represented Falls Church and Fairfax, Virginia part-time in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1954 to 1959.[1] He later represented Annandale and Fairfax in the Virginia Senate, from 1964 to 1979.[2][3]
Early and family life
Omer Hirst was born in Annandale, Virginia, to Thomson Mason Hirst III and Edna Mae Bennett. His father farmed chickens, long before the area became a suburb of nearby Washington, D.C. He graduated in 1930 from Lee-Jackson High School in Alexandria, and received a B.S. degree in commerce in 1936 from Washington and Lee University, and was invited to join the Phi Beta Kappa society. He married Ann Palmer, and they had three children but later divorced. He married Nancy Hand in 1972, and she survived him.[4]
He served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Marines during World War II, and upon returning to Virginia was active in his Methodist Church, as well as the Lions, American Legion, Marine Corps League, Fairfax Historical Society, Boy Scouts, Fairfax High School Parent Teacher Association and various business and community associations in his native Annandale.[5]
Career
After graduating from college, Hirst reluctantly joined his father's real estate business, and later came to live in
A "Roosevelt Democrat", Hirst was active in local politics, and Fairfax County's transition from a rural form of government to a county executive system. In 1953, he and
In 1963, Hirst ran for the Virginia state senate seat. He was elected, and re-elected in 1965, 1967, 1971, and 1975.[8] By the time he retired, Hirst had become the third most senior state senator, and chairman of the Privileges and Elections Committee. Although Hirst had not joined Webb and John A. K. Donovan) as named plaintiffs in the reapportionment case ultimately decided (in Northern Virginia's favor) by the U.S. Supreme Court in Davis v. Mann (1963), he later worked on reapportionments in its aftermath, as well as subsequent censuses.
Two of his legislative priorities were education and roads. Hirst helped create
Death
Hirst died of natural causes at what became Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington at age 89.
References
- ^ Dodson, E. Griffith (1961). The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia, 1940–1960: Register. Richmond: Virginia State Library.
- ^ "Omer Lee Hirst, 89". Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-08-27.
- ^ "SJ110 | Virginia 2004 | On the death of Omer Lee Hirst. | TrackBill". trackbill.com. Retrieved 2016-08-27.
- ^ "MASON WEB – Person Page 102". www.gunstonhall.org. Archived from the original on 2016-06-24. Retrieved 2016-08-27.
- ^ "Welcome to the Virginia House of Delegates". dela.state.va.us. Retrieved 2016-08-27.
- ^ Magazine, Washington Life. "Washington Life Magazine: April 2005: FYIDC". washingtonlife.com. Retrieved 2016-08-27.
- ^ Washington Post obituary
- ^ "Omer L. Hirst (D)". Virginia Department of Elections. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
- ^ "George Mason Patron, Friend Omer Hirst Dies | The Mason Gazette | George Mason University". gazette.gmu.edu. Archived from the original on 2017-05-10. Retrieved 2016-08-27.