D. Woodrow Bird Explained

D. Woodrow Bird
State Senate1:Virginia
District1:17th
Term Start1:January 12, 1966
Term End1:January 12, 1972
Preceded1:Don McGlothlin
Succeeded1:James T. Edmunds
State Senate2:Virginia
District2:18th
Term Start2:January 8, 1964
Term End2:January 12, 1966
Preceded2:George F. Barnes
State Senate3:Virginia
District3:19th
Term Start3:January 11, 1956
Term End3:January 8, 1964
Succeeded3:Hale Collins
Office4:Member of the Virginia House of Delegates for Bland and Giles
Term Start4:January 14, 1948
Term End4:January 11, 1956
Preceded4:E. Dewey Coburn
Succeeded4:Maury C. Newton Sr.
Party:Democratic
Birth Name:Daniel Woodrow Bird
Birth Date:6 July 1912
Birth Place:Bland, Virginia, U.S.
Death Place:Bland, Virginia, U.S.

Daniel Woodrow Bird Sr. (July 6, 1912 – November 16, 1995) was an American politician who served in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly. He is best remembered for his pioneering work in establishing community colleges in Virginia which became a model for the rest of the United States.

Career

Bird was a member of the Democratic Party and was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1947.[1] He remained in that position until January 1956 when he became a state senator. He worked as a senator for the next 15 years; ending his career in 1971 when he chose not to seek reelection.[1] He served as chairman of the Higher Education Study Commission from 1964 through 1966. In that position he played an instrumental role in establishing Virginia's statewide system of community colleges; a success that became a national model.[1]

In the 1950s Bird served as chairman of the Virginia Senate Education Committee during the era of desegregation in the United States.[1] The Washington Post stated, that he "once cast the swing vote to keep the state's public schools open and allow integration to move forward, rather than risk the complete shutdown of the system."[1] At the time of his retirement in 1971, he was chairman of the Senate's agriculture committee.[2]

Notes and References

  1. News: DANIEL BIRD DIES. The Washington Post. November 18, 1995.
  2. Web site: State Farm Bureau Presents Service Award to Sen. Bird. Daily Press. November 19, 1971. 56. May 17, 2020. Newspapers.com.