Barry D. Knight is an American politician. A Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

, he was elected a member of the Virginia House of Delegates

Virginia House of Delegates

The Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbered years. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is elected from among the...

 in a special election on January 6, 2009. He the 81st district, made up of parts of the cities of Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Virginia Beach is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay...

 and Chesapeake

Chesapeake, Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 199,184 people, 69,900 households, and 54,172 families residing in the city. The population density was 584.6 people per square mile . There were 72,672 housing units at an average density of 213.3 per square mile...

.

Early life

Knight was born and raised on a farm. After graduation from Kempsville High School

Kempsville High School

Kempsville High School is one of eleven public high schools in the Virginia Beach City Public Schools system. It is a comprehensive high school teaching grades 9-12. Located in the western section of the city, the Kempsville HS school district covers approximately 12 sq. miles, and draws students...

, he worked as a truck driver

Truck driver

A truck driver , is a person who earns a living as the driver of a truck, usually a semi truck, box truck, or dump truck.Truck drivers provide an essential service to...

 to raise enough money to buy his own hog farm. his business, Barry D. Knight Farms, produced about 12,000 hogs a year.

Knight was named the Virginia Farm Bureau's Young Farmer of the Year in 1983. He was president of the Tidewater Pork Producers 1984–1990. He was chairman of the Southern States Cooperative, and vice president of the Virginia Beach Farm Bureau.

Knight married Paula Jane Whitehurst, c.1983. They have three sons, Hunter, Kyle and Forrest.

Political career

Knight served on the Virginia Pork Board, a gubernatorial appointment, 1995–c.2001. He was appointed to the Virginia Beach Planning Commission in 2003, and elected chair in 2006.

In September 2008, Delegate Terrie Suit

Terrie Suit

Terrie L. Suit is an American politician of the Republican Party. She was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates 2000–2008....

 resigned her 81st district seat to take a job as a lobbyist. Knight ran for the Republican nomination, winning a three-way primary contest on November 29 over Virginia Beach Sheriff Paul Lanteigne and Tom Keeley, a retired United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 officer. Knight received 1,309 votes out of 2,218 ballots cast. He went on to beat Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 activist John LaCombe handily in the special election on January 6, 2009.

See also

• Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2009

External links