Robert Daniel

For the 17th Century English Colonial Governor, see Robert Daniell.

Robert Williams Daniel, Jr. (March 17, 1936 – February 4, 2012) was a Virginia farmer, businessman, teacher, and politician who served five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican. He was first elected in 1972 and served until 1983.

Biography

Early life

Daniel was born in Richmond, Virginia. He was the son of Robert Williams Daniel, a bank executive who survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912, and later served in the Senate of Virginia and his third wife Charlotte Randolph Christian (née Bemiss).

He was a descendant of Peter V. Daniel, an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, and, Edmund Randolph, who was the seventh Governor of Virginia, the first Attorney General of the United States and Secretary of State.

He graduated from the Fay School in Southborough, Massachusetts and Woodberry Forest School, in Woodberry Forest, Virginia. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi. He then received a Masters in Business Administration from Columbia University.

Career

He served in the United States Army and Central Intelligence Agency from 1964 to 1968.

Daniel had grown up as a Democrat, but became a Republican sometime in the 1960s. In 1972, he ran for the open seat in Virginia's 4th congressional district after longtime incumbent Watkins Abbitt retired. He won handily, becoming the first Republican to represent this district since the end of Reconstruction.

While in Congress, Daniel was a member of the House Armed Services Committee and various subcommittees. He was defeated in his bid for a sixth term by Norman Sisisky in 1982. He served as deputy assistant to Secretary of Defense, Caspar Weinberger, from 1984 to 1986; and director of intelligence for the Department of Energy from 1990 to 1993. He was a recipient of the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal.

Personal life

He was the owner and operator of Brandon Plantation, in Prince George, Virginia, a U.S. National Historic Landmark and one of the oldest continuous agricultural operations in the United States.

Daniel died of a heart attack at his Jupiter Island, Florida vacation home on February 4, 2012 and was buried with military honors at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.

Electoral history

• 1972; Daniel was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives with 55.67% of the vote, defeating Democrat Robert E. Gibson and Independents Robert R. Hardy, William E. Ward, and John G. Vonetes.

• 1974; Daniel was re-elected with 47.21% of the vote, defeating Democrat Lester E. Schlitz and Independent Curtis W. Harris.

• 1976; Daniel was re-elected with 53.03% of the vote, defeating Democrat Joseph William O'Brien, Jr.

• 1978; Daniel was re-elected unopposed.

• 1980; Daniel was re-elected with 60.7% of the vote, defeating Democrat Cecil Y. Jenkins.

• 1982; Daniel lost his re-election bid to Democrat Norman Sisisky.

External links

• Stennis Center Biography, Robert W. Daniel, Jr.
• Robert Williams Daniel, titanic survivor
• Robert W. Daniel obituary, New York Times, December 21, 1940

• Robert Daniel at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Watkins M. Abbitt	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 4th congressional district 1973–1983	Succeeded by Norman Sisisky