Leroy S. Bendheim was a two-term mayor of Alexandria, Virginia

Alexandria, Virginia

Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...

 and three-term Virginia state senator.

Family and early life

Bendheim was born in Alexandria, the son of Charles Bendheim and Elizabeth Schwarz. His father was a member of the Alexandria City Council and a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. He graduated from law school 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.

Political career

Bendheim served on the Alexandria School Board from 1934 to 1943, and was chairman for five years. Elected to the City Council as a Democrat, he served from 1948 to 1955; he received the most votes for the at-large council and, thus, was vice mayor from 1952 to 1955. In 1955, he was elected Mayor of Alexandria and served two three-year terms as mayor before his defeat in 1961 by fellow Democrat Frank E. Mann

Frank E. Mann

Frank E. Mann was a politician from the state of Virginia. He served as mayor of Alexandria for three terms in the sixties and seventies, and was a Democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1970 to 1975....

.

In 1963, Bendheim was elected to the Virginia Senate, representing Alexandria and served there 12 years. In 1975, he was defeated in a bid for a fourth term by Republican Wiley F. Mitchell

Wiley F. Mitchell

Wiley F. Mitchell, Jr. is an attorney and former politician in Virginia.-Early life and education:A native of North Carolina, Mitchell graduated from Wake Forest University with a Bachelor's degree in 1952 and in 1954 graduated from Wake Forest Law School.-Political career:Mitchell was elected a...

. Bendheim never served in elected office again.