Dan Daniel (politician)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wilbur Clarence (Dan) Daniel (May 12, 1914 - January 23, 1988) was a U.S. Representative from Virginia, USA.
Born in Chatham, Virginia, Daniel grew up on a tobacco farm in Mecklenburg County, Virginia. He was educated in Virginia schools, and was a graduate of Dan River Textile School, Danville, Virginia. Danville, on the Dan River, was at the time a centre for the tobacco and textile industries. The name of the school references the textile industry, and the town is known for the Dan River textile mill, which was founded in 1883 and closed in 2006. From 1939 to 1968, except for a period of service in the United States Navy during the Second World War, Daniel was associated with Dan River Mills, Inc (now Dan River Inc), the textile company that operated the mill on the Dan River. He advanced through the ranks of the business to become assistant to the board chairman.
As a veteran of the Second World War, Daniel was elected State commander of the American Legion in 1951, and became national commander in 1956. Daniel was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates from 1959 to 1968. He was President of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce in 1968, and was a permanent member of the President's People-to-People Committee (now People to People International).
Daniel was elected as a Democrat to the 91st United States Congress, and to the nine succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1969, until his death in Charlottesville, Virginia, on January 23, 1988. At the time of his death he was a resident of Danville, Virginia. He was interred in Highland Burial Park, Danville.
