William M. Tuck
Encyclopedia
William Munford Tuck served as the 55th Governor of Virginia
from 1946 to 1950 as a Democrat
.
He was the youngest son of Halifax County, Virginia tobacco warehouseman Robert James Tuck and Virginia Susan Fritts. Tuck graduated from the College of William and Mary
, earning a teacher's certificate. He served in U.S. Marine Corps in 1917 in the Caribbean. He graduated from Washington and Lee University
Law School in 1921 and was admitted to Virginia bar then was a Halifax, Virginia
attorney
who also served in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly
and as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
from 1942 to 1946. As governor, he reorganized state government, enacted a right-to-work law
, and created a state water pollution
control agency.
Tuck was elected as a Democrat to U.S. Congress seat in 1953 to assume vacancy created by Thomas Bahnson Stanley
who had resigned to run for Governor of Virginia
. There he opposed most major items of civil rights legislation during the 1950s and 1960s. He also promised "massive resistance
" to the Supreme Court's 1954 decision banning segregation, Brown v. Board of Education
, and helped draft the Stanley plan
—a series of state laws designed to legally avoid Brown.
He is buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery, South Boston, Virginia.
He is preceded in death by his son Woody Marshall Tuck.
He was a delegate to Democratic National Convention
s of 1948 and 1952.
His personal papers, including papers from his time as congressman and governor, are held by the Special Collections Research Center at the College of William & Mary. His executive papers from his time as governor are held by the Library of Virginia
.
Governor of Virginia
The governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....
from 1946 to 1950 as a Democrat
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...
.
He was the youngest son of Halifax County, Virginia tobacco warehouseman Robert James Tuck and Virginia Susan Fritts. Tuck graduated from the College of William and Mary
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
, earning a teacher's certificate. He served in U.S. Marine Corps in 1917 in the Caribbean. He graduated from Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.The classical school from which Washington and Lee descended was established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, about north of its present location. In 1776 it was renamed Liberty Hall in a burst of...
Law School in 1921 and was admitted to Virginia bar then was a Halifax, Virginia
Halifax, Virginia
Halifax is a town in Halifax County, Virginia, United States, along the Banister River. The population was 1,389 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Halifax County.-Geography:Halifax is located at ....
attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
who also served in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...
and as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
The Lieutenant Governor is a constitutional officer of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Lieutenant Governor is elected every four years along with the Governor and Attorney General. The office is currently held by Republican William T. Bolling. The governor and lieutenant governor are elected...
from 1942 to 1946. As governor, he reorganized state government, enacted a right-to-work law
Right-to-work law
Right-to-work laws are statutes enforced in twenty-two U.S. states, mostly in the southern or western U.S., allowed under provisions of the federal Taft–Hartley Act, which prohibit agreements between labor unions and employers that make membership, payment of union dues, or fees a condition of...
, and created a state water pollution
Water pollution
Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies . Water pollution occurs when pollutants are discharged directly or indirectly into water bodies without adequate treatment to remove harmful compounds....
control agency.
Tuck was elected as a Democrat to U.S. Congress seat in 1953 to assume vacancy created by Thomas Bahnson Stanley
Thomas Bahnson Stanley
Thomas Bahnson Stanley was an American politician, manufacturer and Holstein cattle breeder.-Early life:...
who had resigned to run for Governor of Virginia
Governor of Virginia
The governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....
. There he opposed most major items of civil rights legislation during the 1950s and 1960s. He also promised "massive resistance
Massive resistance
Massive resistance was a policy declared by U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd, Sr. on February 24, 1956, to unite other white politicians and leaders in Virginia in a campaign of new state laws and policies to prevent public school desegregation after the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision...
" to the Supreme Court's 1954 decision banning segregation, Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 , was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional. The decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896 which...
, and helped draft the Stanley plan
Stanley plan
The Stanley plan was a package of 13 statutes adopted in September 1956 by the U.S. state of Virginia designed to ensure racial segregation in that state's public schools despite the ruling of the Supreme Court of the United States in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, 347 U.S. 483 ....
—a series of state laws designed to legally avoid Brown.
He is buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery, South Boston, Virginia.
He is preceded in death by his son Woody Marshall Tuck.
He was a delegate to Democratic National Convention
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
s of 1948 and 1952.
His personal papers, including papers from his time as congressman and governor, are held by the Special Collections Research Center at the College of William & Mary. His executive papers from his time as governor are held by the Library of Virginia
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, is the library agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia, its archival agency, and the reference library at the seat of government. The Library moved into a new building in 1997 and is located at 800 East Broad Street, 2 blocks from the Virginia State...
.