Don Beyer
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| Donald S. Beyer, Jr. | |
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| In office January 14, 1990 – January 14, 1998 |
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| Preceded by | Doug Wilder |
| Succeeded by | John H. Hager |
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| Born | June 20, 1950 Trieste, Italy |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Megan Beyer |
Donald S. "Don" Beyer, Jr. (born June 20, 1950) is an American business and political leader. He currently is an owner of automobile dealerships and is involved in community, political and philanthropic work. Previously, from 1990-98 he served as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia as a Democrat during the gubernatorial administrations of Democrat Doug Wilder (1990-1994) and Republican George Allen (1994-1998).
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[edit] Early life
Beyer was born in Trieste, Italy, the son of U.S. Army officer Don Beyer and his wife, Nancy.[1] The oldest of six children, he was raised in Washington, D.C. In 1968 he graduated from Gonzaga College High School, where he was salutatorian of his class; in 1972 he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Williams College, magna cum laude, in economics. Beyer was a presidential scholar in 1968, and was a National Merit Scholarship winner. He graduated from a winter Outward Bound course at Dartmouth College in January 1971, and attended Wellesley College that year as part of the "12 College Exchange" program.[2]
[edit] Political career
During his tenure as Lieutenant Governor he served as president of the Virginia Senate. He chaired the Virginia Economic Recovery Commission, the Virginia Commission on Sexual Assault, the Virginia Commission on Disabilities, the Poverty Commission and was co-founder of the Northern Virginia Technology Council, an outgrowth of the Chamber of Commerce.[3] He was active in promoting high-tech industries, and lead the fight to eliminate disincentives in the Virginia Tax Code to high-tech research and development.[4]
He is also credited with writing the original welfare reform legislation in Virginia.[5]
Beyer was the Democratic nominee for governor in 1997, losing in the general election to Republican James S. Gilmore III.
Beyer is often mentioned as a potential candidate for statewide office.[6]
He has endorsed and currently campaigns for U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., who is running for president in the 2008 Democratic primary.[7]
Previously, he served as Finance Chairman for Mark Warner's Political Action Committee, "Forward Together."[8] He also served as the National Treasurer for the 2004 presidential campaign of former Vermont Governor Howard Dean.[9]
[edit] Business interests
Beyer and other members of his family are owners of six Volvo, Land Rover and Subaru car dealerships in Northern Virginia. He is the immediate past chair of the National Volvo Retailer Advisory Board.
In 2006, he served as chairman of the American International Automobile Dealers Association.[10]
Beyer serves as a member of the board of Demosphere International, a leading soccer registration software provider.[11] He also is a board member of History Associates, which bills itself as "The Best Company in History."[12] He has served on the Virginia Board of First Union National Bank, the board of Shenandoah Life Insurance Company, and the board of Lightly Expressed, a fiber optic lighting design and manufacturing firm.
[edit] Community, family, personal
During nearly three decades of community activism, he has taken leadership roles on the boards of many business, philanthropic and public policy organizations, including the Virginia Commonwealth Transportation Board, the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce and the American Cancer Society. He has received numerous awards and honors, including the Grand Award for Highway Safety from the National Safety Federation; the James Wheat Award for Service to Virginians with Disabilities;[13] and the Earl Williams Leadership in Technology Award.
He currently chairs the board of the Alexandria Community Trust, Alexandria's community foundation,[14] and the board of Jobs for Virginia Graduates, the state's largest high school dropout prevention program.[15] He is past president of the board of Youth for Tomorrow, Washington Redskins' coach Joe Gibbs' residential home for troubled adolescent boys and girls.[16] He also serves on the board of the DC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.[17]
He and his family attend Christ Church in Alexandria. Beyer and his wife, Megan, along with the younger two of his four children, Clara and Grace, reside in Alexandria, Virginia. He enjoys reading, exercise and hiking the Appalachian Trail.
[edit] References
- ^ The Virginian-Pilot, September 21, 1997
- ^ 12 College Exchange program manual
- ^ Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, 1990s
- ^ Virginia Business magazine, July 1997
- ^ The Virginian-Pilot, February 16, 1995
- ^ Not Larry Sabato weblog, January 17, 2006
- ^ WTOP radio news, April 21, 2007
- ^ The Virginian-Pilot, December 7, 2005
- ^ RaisingKaine blog, May 3, 2007
- ^ American International Automobile Dealers Association press release, June 1, 2006
- ^ Demosphere website
- ^ History Associates website
- ^ Virginia Board for People with Disabilities Newsletter, August 2001
- ^ The Connection Newspapers, September 7, 2006
- ^ Jobs for Virginia Graduates website
- ^ Youth for Tomorrow website
- ^ DC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy website
[edit] External links
- VirginiaEconomicBridge.org, Don Beyer biography
- Don Beyer Volvo website
- Don Beyer Subaru website
- Land Rover Alexandria website
- Commonwealth of Virginia website
| Preceded by Doug Wilder |
Lieutenant Governor of Virginia 1990 – 1998 |
Succeeded by John H. Hager |
| Preceded by Don Hicks |
Chairman of American International Automobile Dealers Association 2006 – 2007 |
Succeeded by John Hawkins |
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