John S. Battle, Jr.

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John Stewart Battle, Jr. (July 11, 1890 - April 9, 1972) was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates (1930–1934) and the Senate of Virginia (1934–1950), and served as governor of Virginia (1950–1954). His greatest achievement as governor was a massive school construction program to accommodate the first wave of the baby boom.

Battles graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Virginia School of Law in Charlottesville in 1913. In 1917 he lost to Lyttelton Waddell Wood for the office of Commonwealth's Attorney for Charlottesville. Wood had been appointed Commonwealth’s Attorney in 1915 to fill an unexpired term.

Battles served as a private in the U.S. Army during World War I. He married Janie Lipscombe in 1918. His law practice well established, Battle won election to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1929.

Battles was loyal Democrat in line with the Byrd Organization, the state machine run by U.S. senator Harry F. Byrd Sr., Battle overcame a spirited challenge by three fellow Democrats to win the 1949 gubernatorial primary.

The Korean War broke out during Battle’s administration, leading the governor to reactivate the State Council of Defense. Battle was also an advocate of social reforms, pressing for additional funding for school construction, for improvements in hospitals, for the expansion of local health centers, and for raises in teachers’ salaries.

Battle died in 1972, at the age of 81, and was buried in Monticello Memorial Park.



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