John N. Dalton

John Nichols Dalton (July 11, 1931 – July 30, 1986) was an American politician who served as the 63rd governor of Virginia, from 1978 to 1982. Dalton won the office with 55.9% of the vote, defeating Democrat Henry E. Howell, Jr and Independent Alan R. Ogden. Dalton had previously served as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia.

This article is about the governor of the U.S. state of Virginia. For the famous chemist, see John Dalton.

John Dalton
63rd Governor of Virginia
In office January 14, 1978 – January 16, 1982
Lieutenant	Chuck Robb
Preceded by	Mills Godwin
Succeeded by	Chuck Robb
32nd Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
In office January 12, 1974 – January 14, 1978
Governor	Mills Godwin
Preceded by	Henry Howell
Succeeded by	Chuck Robb
Member of the Virginia Senate from the 37th district
In office January 10, 1973 – December 4, 1973
Preceded by	James Turk
Succeeded by	Madison Marye
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 6th district
In office January 12, 1966 – January 10, 1973
Preceded by	Kenneth Devore
Succeeded by	Ward Teel
Personal details
Born	John Clay Nichols (1931-07-11)July 11, 1931 Emporia, Virginia, U.S.
Died	July 30, 1986(1986-07-30) (aged 55) Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Eddy Panzer
Children	4
Education	College of William & Mary (BA) University of Virginia (LLB)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1954–1956
Rank	First lieutenant

Biography

Dalton in 1981

Born in Emporia, Virginia, Dalton graduated from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and the University of Virginia Law School. He served in both houses of the General Assembly (Virginia House of Delegates, 1966–1972, Senate of Virginia, 1973). Dalton was the 32nd Lieutenant Governor from 1974 to 1978. As governor, he pursued policies of limited government. He also settled the federal lawsuit on the desegregation of Virginia's institutions of higher education.

Dalton was the adopted son of Theodore Roosevelt Dalton, his uncle, who was the Republican candidate for governor in 1953 and 1957. As a young man his next-door neighbor was Charlotte Giesen, first Republican woman elected to the House of Delegates.[1] Dalton died at 55 of lung cancer.[2] He is buried at Sunrise Burial Park in Radford.

His personal papers, including those from his time as governor, are held by the Special Collections Research Center at the College of William & Mary.[3] His executive papers from his time as governor are held by the Library of Virginia. Dalton Intermediate School, in Radford, Virginia, is named after the former governor. Dalton Hall, a building at Radford University that houses dining facilities, and the university bookstore is named for Dalton.

Dalton's son-in-law, Steve Baril, sought the 2005 Republican nomination for attorney general of Virginia.

References

1. Frank B. Atkinson (21 July 2006). The Dynamic Dominion: Realignment and the Rise of Two-Party Competition in Virginia, 1945–1980. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. pp. 156–. ISBN 978-0-7425-7753-4.
2. Click, Carolyn (July 30, 1986). "Former Virginia Gov. Dalton dead at 55". United Press International. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
3. "John Dalton Papers". Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library, College of William & Mary. Retrieved 1 February 2011.

• Grimsley, Edward (July 31, 1986). "John N. Dalton". Richmond Times-Dispatch.
• Virginia Governor John Nichols Dalton, National Governors Association
• John N. Dalton, 1978–1982, UVa Cooper Center
• The Legacy of Governor Dalton by John Chichester

External links

• Finding aid for the John Dalton Papers

Political offices
Preceded by Henry Howell	Lieutenant Governor of Virginia 1974–1978	Succeeded by Chuck Robb
Preceded by Mills Godwin	Governor of Virginia 1978–1982
Party political offices
Preceded by Mills Godwin	Republican nominee Governor of Virginia 1977	Succeeded by Marshall Coleman
Preceded by Richard A. Snelling	Chair of the Republican Governors Association 1980–1981	Succeeded by James R. Thompson