Roy Dyson
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Royden Patrick (Roy) Dyson (born November 15, 1948) is an American politician. He is a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland.
Born in Great Mills, Maryland, Dyson attended private schools and graduated from Great Mills High School in 1966. He attended the University of Maryland, College Park, and the University of Baltimore in 1968, 1969, and 1970. He also served as a legislative assistant in the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 1974.
Dyson was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates, serving from 1975 to 1980, and was a delegate in 1978 to the Democratic National Issues Conference. Dyson was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1976 to the Ninety-fifth Congress, but was successfully elected as a Democrat to the Ninety-seventh and to the four succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1981 to January 3, 1991. Because of his unseemly ties to defense contractors, he was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1990 to the 102nd United States Congress, losing to challenger Wayne Gilchrest.
In addition to disclosures about Dyson's receipt of campaign funds and honoraria from defense contractors, Dyson's political demise was hastened by the suicide of his admnistrative assistant and top aide, Tom Pappas, on May 1, 1988. Pappas leaped from a New York City hotel on the day that an article appeared in the Washington Post asserting that Pappas had hired young male staffers in Dyson's office and attempted to force them to drink and socialize with him. The revelation caused speculation about Dyson's own sexual orientation but he denied that he was a homosexual.
Nevertheless, the spectacle played poorly in Dyson's largely rural district on Maryland's Eastern Shore. In the 1988 election, he defeated Gilchrest, at the time a high school teacher, by only 460 votes. In 1990, Gilchrest defeated Dyson 57% to 43% despite again being badly outspent by Dyson, who received substantial PAC contributions in all of his later campaigns. Ironically, Dyson had won the seat against a Republican tide in 1980 when GOP incumbent Robert Bauman was charged with soliciting a teenage boy and admitted his homosexuality.
As of 2006, Dyson is a resident in Great Mills. Furthermore, Roy Dyson continues his service as a Maryland State Senator for District 29 since 1995, including all of St. Mary's County and southern Calvert County, Maryland.
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Preceded by Robert Bauman |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland's 1st congressional district January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1991 |
Succeeded by Wayne Gilchrest |
Representatives to the 95th – 110th United States Congresses from Maryland | ||
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97th | Senate: C. Mathias | P. Sarbanes | House: C. Long | P. Mitchell | M. Holt | G. Spellman | B. Mikulski | M. Barnes | B. Byron | R. Dyson |
98th | Senate: C. Mathias | P. Sarbanes | House: C. Long | P. Mitchell | M. Holt | B. Mikulski | M. Barnes | B. Byron | R. Dyson | S. Hoyer |
99th | Senate: C. Mathias | P. Sarbanes | House: P. Mitchell | M. Holt | B. Mikulski | M. Barnes | B. Byron | R. Dyson | S. Hoyer | H. Bentley |
100th | Senate: P. Sarbanes | B. Mikulski | House: B. Byron | R. Dyson | S. Hoyer | H. Bentley | B. Cardin | C. T. McMillen | K. Mfume | C. Morella |
101st | Senate: P. Sarbanes | B. Mikulski | House: B. Byron | R. Dyson | S. Hoyer | H. Bentley | B. Cardin | C. T. McMillen | K. Mfume | C. Morella |