Charles Rogers Fenwick was a Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

 Democratic politician who served in 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...

 and Senate representing Arlington County

Arlington County, Virginia

Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The land that became Arlington was originally donated by Virginia to the United States government to form part of the new federal capital district. On February 27, 1801, the United States Congress organized the area as a subdivision of...

.

Early life and education

Fenwick was born on August 11, 1900 in Fairfax County, Virginia

Fairfax County, Virginia

Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...

 to Edward Taylor Fenwick and Clara Gulagher. He served in the U.S. Army during World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. After his service, Fenwick attended the University of Virginia

University of Virginia

The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...

 and in 1922 he was among the first members of the newly formed Beta Chapter of Sigma Nu

Sigma Nu

Sigma Nu is an undergraduate, college fraternity with chapters in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Sigma Nu was founded in 1869 by three cadets at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia...

 fraternity. He played varsity football at U.Va. He graduated with a law degree from the University of Virginia and later attended post-graduate studies at George Washington University

George Washington University

The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...

.

In 1929, Fenwick married Eleanor Russell Eastman.

Political career

Fenwick was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates representing Arlington County in 1939 and served in the House from 1940 to 1946. In 1947, Fenwick ran for, and was elected to, the Virginia Senate representing the 22nd Senate District. He was a delegate to 1952 Democratic National Convention

1952 Democratic National Convention

The 1952 Democratic National Convention was held at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois from July 21 to July 26, 1952, which was the same arena the Republicans had gathered in a few weeks earlier for their national convention...

 from Virginia. Fenwick also served as a member of the Virginia Democratic State Central Committee from 1952 - 1964. In 1956, the Virginia Senate was redistricted and Fenwick was elected from the 9th District

Virginia Senate, District 9

District 9 of the Virginia Senate is a senatorial district that encompasses all of Charles City County and portions of the City of Richmond, Henrico County and Hanover County in the U.S. state of Virginia...

 which still consisted of all of Arlington County.

In 1964, Fenwick was elected as a Presidential Elector for Virginia and cast his ballot for Lyndon B. Johnson

Lyndon B. Johnson

Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...

. Throughout his life, Fenwick was a member of the American Bar Association

American Bar Association

The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...

, the Freemasons, the Shriners, the Elks Club, the Moose Lodge, the American Legion, the Rotary Club and the Farm Bureau.

Death and memorials

On February 22, 1969, Fenwick died and was buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Fairfax County, Virginia. A Washington Metro

Washington Metro

The Washington Metro, commonly called Metro, and unofficially Metrorail, is the rapid transit system in Washington, D.C., United States, and its surrounding suburbs. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority , which also operates Metrobus service under the Metro name...

 bridge linking Arlington and the District of Columbia is named for Senator Fenwick.