Herbert H. Bateman

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Herbert Bateman

Herbert Harvell Bateman was an American politician in Virginia. He was a nine-term member of the United States House of Representatives, serving as a Republican.

1 Early Life
2 Political career
3 Health Issues
4 External links

[edit] Early Life

Smith was born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina on August 7, 1928. However, he lived most of his life in Newport News, Virginia. A graduate of Newport News high school in 1945, Bateman went on to William and Mary to earn a Bachelor's degree. After Graduation, he briefly taught at Hampton High School from 1949 to 1951, when he enlisted in the United States Air Force as a 1st lieutenant during the Korean War. He served until 1953.

Upon his return home, Bateman enrolled in the Law Center at Georgetown University, where in 1956 he earned his law degree. He served a short time as a clerk for the United States Court of Appeals in Washington, DC before practicing law privately in Newport News from 1968 to 1983.

[edit] Political career

Bateman was a member of the Senate of Virginia for 14 years, representing a portion of Newport News. He was originally a Democrat, but became a Republican in the 1970s.

In 1982, he was elected to succeed Paul S. Trible, Jr. as a representative of the 1st District in the United States House of Representatives. While serving in the House, Bateman was a member of the Armed Forces and Transportation Infrastructure Committees, while chairing the Subcommittee on Military Readiness and the House Merchant Marine Panel.

While in the House of Representatives, Bateman supported the issues of his district. Since Newport News was a center for military work, he strongly supported military spending. On most other issues, he was a moderate conservative, voting to restrain government spending. He also served his constituents as a member of organizations such as the Virginia Jaycees, Peninsula United Way and Red Cross Blood Donor Program.

[edit] Health Issues

Health became a big issue for Congressman Bateman in the 1990s. In 1990 he was diagnosed with lung and prostate cancer. In 1995, he suffered a heart attack, but was able to survive. He had surgery to remove cancer from his right lung in 1998, and had a partial blockage of a major artery removed in 1999. Smith was diagnosed with a cancerous lymph node in January 2000, which prompted him to not seek re-election.

On September 11, 2000, Congressman Bateman died from natural causes. He was in Leesburg, Virginia at the time for a golf tournament. He was serving out the rest of his 9th term at his death, and was survived by Laura Bateman, his wife and two children, a son and daughter. His son, Herbert H. Bateman, Jr., presently serves on the Newport News City Council.