Charles J. Colgan
Encyclopedia
Background
Orphaned at the age of 5, Charles J. Colgan was raised by his grandparents on a farm in Garrett County, Maryland.Upon his graduation from high school Colgan enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps and was called to active duty in February 1945. After graduation from basic training Colgan was stationed in Italy as part of a maintenance flight crew on a C-47.
After completing his military service Colgan returned to Maryland where he met and married his wife Agnes. In 1948, Colgan and his wife moved to Washington, D.C. He trained as an airplane mechanic working for Capital Airlines
Capital Airlines
Capital Airlines was an airline serving the eastern United States that merged into United Airlines in 1961. Its primary hubs were National Airport near Washington, DC, and Allegheny County Airport near Pittsburgh. In the 1950s it was the largest US domestic carrier after the Big Four . Its...
and then obtained his commercial pilots license.
Manassas, Virginia
The City of Manassas is an independent city surrounded by Prince William County and the independent city of Manassas Park in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Its population was 37,821 as of 2010. Manassas also surrounds the county seat for Prince William County but that county...
in 1964 and formed Colgan Airways operating as a flight school and fixed base operation. In 1968, Colgan expanded his business to include a regional airline which he sold to Presidential Airways
Presidential Airways
Presidential Airways may refer to:*Presidential Airways an American charter airline based in Florida*Presidential Airways a failed American passenger airline from the 1980s...
in 1986. After the bankruptcy of Presidential, around 1991, Senator Colgan and his son Mike re-started air service under the new name Colgan Air
Colgan Air
Colgan Air, Inc. is an American certificated regional airline subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corp. The headquarters of Colgan Air are located in Memphis, Tennessee....
with one aircraft. Colgan and his family sold the airline in 2007 to Pinnacle Airlines
Pinnacle Airlines
Pinnacle Airlines, Inc. is an American regional airline, which is a subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corp., and operates as Delta Connection for Delta Air Lines...
. At the time of the sale, Colgan Air
Colgan Air
Colgan Air, Inc. is an American certificated regional airline subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corp. The headquarters of Colgan Air are located in Memphis, Tennessee....
had grown from a few employees and one aircraft to 1,100 employees, 50 aircraft, and 350 flights daily to 53 cities in the North East and Texas.
Charles and his wife Agnes (deceased 2001) have eight children, twenty-four grandchildren, seventeen great grandchildren and counting. Colgan's descendants are well known throughout the community and operate several small businesses including, Capital Aviation, Mechanical Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) Partners, Yorkshire Supply, Stage Door Dance Studio, and Colgan Real Estate.
Awards
- 1980, Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame.
- 2003, Turboprop Airline Executive of the Year Award for his accomplishments in the airline industry.
- 2005, Virginia Senator of the Year by the Virginia Transit Association.
- 2011, George Mason UniversityGeorge Mason UniversityGeorge Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
(GMU) honored Colgan for his work on the development of the GMU Prince William Campus.
- Northern Virginia Community CollegeNorthern Virginia Community CollegeNorthern Virginia Community College, often abbreviated NVCC and colloquially as NOVA, comprises several locations in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., and is both the second largest multi-campus community college in the United States and the largest educational institution in the...
Medallion Award for his work in building and developing the college system.
- Melvin Jones Award (the highest award for community service) from the Park West Lions Club.
- The Northern Virginia Community CollegeNorthern Virginia Community CollegeNorthern Virginia Community College, often abbreviated NVCC and colloquially as NOVA, comprises several locations in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., and is both the second largest multi-campus community college in the United States and the largest educational institution in the...
Manassas Campus has a building named in honor of Senator Colgan for his work on improving higher education, Colgan Hall.
Political career
Colgan’s public service began in 1972 when he was elected to the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, where he served as Chairman for one year. In 1976, Colgan was elected to the Virginia State Senate representing Prince William County, and the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.Colgan is the only Senator from Prince William County to ever serve as the powerful chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and President Pro Tempore
President pro tempore
A President pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer...
of the Senate. As a result of his senority, from 2005 to 2011 Prince William County, Manassas, and Manassas Park have received more transportation funds than any other juristiction in the commonwealth.
As a moderate Democrat, Colgan is well known for working on both sides of the aisle. His bipartisan leadership is well known and respected throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. In fact, one of his greatest friends was a Republican Delegate from Manassas, Harry J. Parrish
Harry J. Parrish
Harry J. Parrish was a longtime member of the Virginia House of Delegates at the time of his death, age 84. Born February 19, 1922, Parrish served as a Colonel in the United States Air Force from 1942 and 1946 before being elected to the town council of Manassas, Virginia in 1951...
(Deceased 2006).
Political accomplishments
General:- Patron SB1316 Charter for the City of Manassas Park, 1975.
Transportation:
- Rt. 234 bypass, bypassing the city of Manassas and extending to the town DumfriesDumfriesDumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
.
- Widening Interstate 66 to four lanes from Manassas to Gainesville.
- Gainesville interchange Rt.29/I-66 (in progress), $435 million plus and the largest project currently underway by the Virginia Department of TransportationVirginia Department of TransportationThe Virginia Department of Transportation is the agency of state government responsible for transportation in the state of Virginia in the United States. Headquartered in Downtown Richmond, VDOT is responsible for building, maintaining, and operating the roads, bridges and tunnels in the...
(VDOT).
- Widening Interstate 95 to four lanes.
- Additional Rail Cars for VREVREVRE is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below:*VRE is the ICAO code for Volare Airlines*Virginia Railway Express*Vancomycin-resistant enterococcus*Virtual Real Estate*Virtual Research Environment...
.
Education:
- In 2011 during state wide cuts, Colgan prevented RepublicansRepublican 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...
from cutting K-12 education spending by 730 million.
- Several buildings on Manassas and Woodbridge NVCC campuses.
- Worked to Establish the George Mason Prince William Campus.
- Hylton Center for Performing Arts at GMU Prince William Campus.
- Passed legislation to create the GMU/NIH Research Facility at George Mason University.
Veterans:
- Introduced legislation that provided a free college education to children and spouses of police officers, firefighters and members of the National Guard who are killed in the line of duty.
- Worked to allow local governments to exempt disabled veterans from having to pay property taxes.
External links
- Senate of Virginia - Senator Charles J. Colgan's official government site
- Senator Chuck Colgan's official campaign website