Editing Gerald Baliles

{{Short description|American politician and lawyer (1940–2019)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2011}}
{{more citations needed|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name         = Gerald Baliles
|image        = Gerald Baliles 1986.jpg
|office       = Chair of the [[National Governors Association]]
|term_start   = August 9, 1988
|term_end     = August 1, 1989
|predecessor  = [[John H. Sununu]]
|successor    = [[Terry Branstad]]
|order1       = 65th [[Governor of Virginia]]
|lieutenant1  = Douglas Wilder
|term_start1  = January 18, 1986
|term_end1    = January 13, 1990
|predecessor1 = [[Chuck Robb]]
|successor1   = [[Douglas Wilder]]
|office2      = 34th [[Attorney General of Virginia]]
|governor2    = Chuck Robb
|term_start2  = January 16, 1982
|term_end2    = June 30, 1985
|predecessor2 = [[Marshall Coleman]]
|successor2   = William Broaddus
|state_delegate3= Virginia
|district3    = [[Virginia's 35th House of Delegates district|35th]]
|term_start3  = January 14, 1976
|term_end3    = January 13, 1982
|predecessor3 = [[Howard Carwile]]
|successor3   = [[C. Hardaway Marks]]
|birth_name   = Gerald Lee Baliles
|birth_date   = {{birth date|1940|7|8}}
|birth_place  = [[Stuart, Virginia]], U.S.
|death_date   = {{death date and age|2019|10|29|1940|7|8}}
|death_place  = [[Charlottesville, Virginia]], U.S.
|party        = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|spouse       = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Jeannie Baliles|Jeannie Patterson]]|1965|1996|reason=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Robin Deal|2003}}
}}
|children=4
|education    = [[Wesleyan University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[University of Virginia]] ([[Bachelor of Laws|LLB]])
}}
''' Gerald Lee Baliles''' (July 8, 1940 – October 29, 2019) was an American lawyer and [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] politician from the Commonwealth of [[Virginia]] whose career spanned great social and technological changes in his native state.<ref>"Gerald L. Baliles" Roanoke Times (November 10, 2019), viewed online 11/13/19</ref>  The [[List of governors of Virginia|65th Governor of Virginia]] (from 1986 to 1990), the native of [[Patrick County, Virginia|Patrick County]] previously served as the Commonwealth's  [[attorney general of Virginia|attorney general]] (1982–85), and represented Richmond and [[Henrico County, Virginia|Henrico County]] in the [[Virginia House of Delegates]] (1972-1982). After another stint in private legal practice, with [[Hunton & Williams]] (1991-2005), Baliles directed the nonpartisan [[Miller Center of Public Affairs]] associated with his alma mater, the [[University of Virginia]] (2006-2014).<ref>{{cite web|title=Miller Center|url=http://millercenter.org/about/staff/baliles|publisher=University of Virginia|access-date=September 3, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903103826/http://millercenter.org/about/staff/baliles|archive-date=September 3, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Born on July 8, 1940, in rural [[Patrick County, Virginia|Patrick County]], near [[Stuart, Virginia|Stuart]], when their parents divorced, Baliles and his brother Larry were raised by their grandparents, and an aunt and uncle raised their brother Stuart.<ref>Virginia Lawyer's Weekly. October 29, 2019, viewed online 11/13/19</ref> During Virginia's [[Massive Resistance]] (which included school closings in many counties), Baliles attended [[Fishburne Military School]] in [[Waynesboro, Virginia]]. He then earned a bachelor's degree in government from [[Wesleyan University]] in [[Connecticut]] (1963). In 1967, Baliles received a J.D. from the [[University of Virginia School of Law]] in [[Charlottesville, Virginia]].

==Career==

Following his admission to the Virginia bar, Baliles accepted an entry-level position as an assistant attorney general in the state capital, Richmond, where he gained expertise in environmental law. He received a promotion to Deputy Attorney General of Virginia during his final three years on that office's staff (1972-1975).<ref>Bruce F. Jamerson et al, General Assembly of Virginia 1982-1995) (Richmond, 1995) p. 142</ref> As the [[Byrd Organization]] crumbled, Baliles left the office and set up a private legal practice. He had become the secretary of Richmond's Democratic committee in 1971, and ran for office on his own behalf in 1975, and become one of the delegates representing Richmond and [[Henrico County, Virginia]], in the [[Virginia General Assembly]] (a part-time position),<ref>Cynthia Miller Leonard, Virginia's General Assembly 1619-1978 (Richmond, Virginia State Library 1978) p. 774</ref> Re-elected as a member of the [[Virginia House of Delegates]] thru 1981 (when he successfully ran for Attorney General, as discussed below). In the legislature, Baliles served on the Corporations, Insurance and Banking, and Agriculture committees. He was also active in the [[American Bar Association]], the [[Virginia Bar Association]], and the Richmond Bar Association, and chaired the Virginia Model Judiciary Program from 1975 to 1977. He was also admitted to practice before the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit]] and the [[Supreme Court of the United States]].

===Attorney General of Virginia===

Baliles ran for statewide office as attorney general in 1981 on a ticket led by [[Chuck Robb]], who became Virginia's 64th Governor. His peers elected him Outstanding Attorney General.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.virginia.edu/content/memoriam-remembering-former-gov-gerald-baliles|title=In Memoriam: Remembering Former Gov. Gerald Baliles|date=October 29, 2019|website=UVA Today|access-date=June 10, 2020}}</ref> He resigned his office in order to campaign for governor, so his chief deputy, William Gray Broaddus briefly became Virginia's Attorney General until voters elected [[Mary Sue Terry]] (who ran on the same winning ticket as Baliles), to that office.

===Governor of Virginia===

Since Virginia's state constitution limits governors to non-consecutive single terms in office, Baliles ran to succeed Robb and won both the Democratic primary and general election.  In the 1985 election Baliles led a diverse Democratic slate, with [[Douglas Wilder]] as [[Lieutenant Governor of Virginia|Lieutenant Governor]] (the first African-American to hold that office) and [[Mary Sue Terry]] as attorney general (the first woman to hold that office). They defeated the white male [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] slate led by delegate [[Wyatt Durrette]]. Baliles won 55.2% of the gubernatorial vote.

He served as the 65th Governor of Virginia from 1986 to 1990, and became known as an advocate for transportation, education, and economic development. He also appointed the first woman, [[Elizabeth B. Lacy, Justice|Elizabeth B. Lacy]], to the [[Supreme Court of Virginia|Virginia Supreme Court]], expanded the state prison system, and sought to strengthen the state's environmental protections, including cleaning the [[Chesapeake Bay]].

During his term in office, Baliles sought to reform Virginia's transportation infrastructure. In 1986, he guided a $422&nbsp;million-a-year revenue package through a special session of the [[Virginia General Assembly|General Assembly]] to improve Virginia's transportation system, even daring to raise gasoline taxes and advocate toll roads. Some later called him Virginia's "transportation governor" because of the premium he placed on improving transportation. Another of Baliles's key priorities as governor was ensuring the state's ability to participate and compete in world markets, and during his administration Virginia's international trade grew substantially. Increasing its revenues became another signature accomplishment.

Baliles long emphasized the need for workers to continually acquire new skills and training throughout their lives and careers. His administration increased faculty salaries, making pay for the state's higher-education teachers the highest in the South and within $400 of the national average. He began convening annual meetings of educators and education officials with the goal of building a flexible, statewide educational system that would be accessible to Virginians of all backgrounds and ages, including from the state's rural regions outside the Washington/Richmond corridor. In 1989, he hosted the nation's governors in [[Charlottesville, Virginia|Charlottesville]] for President [[George H. W. Bush]]'s summit. During Baliles's administration, the state gained 300,000 jobs, and boasted the highest per-capita income in the South (the ninth highest in the nation). Despite a national recession in the final year of his term, Baliles's popularity helped secure the narrow election of [[Douglas Wilder]] as governor in 1989.

===Post-gubernatorial career===

[[File:Baliles head2.jpg|thumb|right]]
While some considered Baliles an attractive candidate for higher public office after his service as governor, Virginia's [[United States Senate]] seats were held by Democrat [[Chuck Robb]], Baliles's predecessor as governor, and popular Republican [[John Warner]]. Baliles also chose against pursuing the Democratic nomination for President in 1992.

After his term as governor ended in 1990, Baliles returned to private law practice as a partner in the national firm [[Hunton & Williams]] based in [[Richmond, Virginia]]. He specialized in aviation and international law, negotiating agreements between airlines and airports, worked on strategic alliances between carriers, and led coalitions to expand market access and protect environmental standards. He also accepted some public service assignments, including as chair of the Commission to Ensure a Strong Competitive Airline Industry (National Airline) Commission for President [[Bill Clinton]] and Congress. In the early 1990s, Baliles served as chairman of the Public Infrastructure Subcouncil of the [[Competitiveness Policy Council]]. He also sat on the boards of the [[Norfolk Southern Corporation]] and [[Altria Group]]. Baliles also served two terms as the chairman of the board of the [[Public Broadcasting System]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://current.org/wp-content/uploads/archive-site/pbs/pbs512g.html|title=Current.org &#124; Baliles pushes PBS to confront governance problems, 1995|website=current.org|access-date=June 10, 2020}}</ref>

An avid fisherman, throughout most of his professional life Baliles helped preserving the Chesapeake Bay. In 1995 he published ''Preserving the Chesapeake Bay.'' In 2004 Baliles served as chair of a blue-ribbon panel to raise money for the Bay cleanup, and in 2005 the [[Chesapeake Bay Foundation]] named him conservationist of the year. He also founded the Patrick County Education Foundation and served as chairman of the Commission on the Academic Presidency and for the Task Force on the State of the Presidency in Higher Education, for the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. Baliles received eleven honorary degrees, including the [[Harry F. Byrd]] Public Service Award from the [[Virginia Military Institute]] in 2006.

Baliles became the Miller Center's fifth director in April 2006, and before his retirement on December 31, 2014, developed the "American Forum" television program (which ran for 6 years). Known for his civility and bipartisanship, Baliles also oversaw the publication of more than a dozen transcript volumes of White House tapes from the [[John F. Kennedy]] [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] and [[Richard M. Nixon]] presidencies and fostered its oral history program, including of presidents [[George H. W. Bush]], [[Bill Clinton]] and [[George W. Bush]], as well as the [[Edward M. Kennedy]] Oral History Project (released in 2015) and laid the groundwork for the Barack Obama Presidential Oral History Project. Earlier, the Miller Center in 2002 held a conference focusing on his governorship, which led to a 2003 documentary.

==Personal life==
Baliles married twice. He had two children, Laura and Jonathan, with his first wife, [[Jeannie Baliles]]. In his final years, Governor Baliles and his second wife, Robin, split their time between Charlottesville, Virginia and Patrick County. His son Jon Baliles continued the family's political tradition, winning election to the Richmond City Council (a part-time position) in 2012,<ref>Scott Wise, WTVR-TV, [http://wtvr.com/2012/06/04/jon-baliles-governors-son-announces-richmond-city-council-run/ Jon Baliles, Governor's Son, Announces Richmond City Council Run], June 4, 2012</ref><ref>Laura Geller, WWBT-TV, [http://www.nbc12.com/story/20387434/jon-baliles-declared-winner-in-1st-district-recount Jon Baliles Declared Winner In 1st District Recount], December 19, 2012</ref> and currently{{when|date=October 2019}} is the city's Senior Policy Advisor for Innovation.

==Death==

Baliles succumbed after a four-year battle with [[renal cell carcinoma]] and [[pulmonary fibrosis]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/gerald-baliles-virginia-s-governor-from-to-enters-palliative-care/article_65b8b86c-4f8c-5233-aacf-c023a9cb3f95.html|title=Gerald Baliles, Virginia's governor from 1986 to 1990, enters palliative care program for cancer|publisher=Richmond.com|access-date=October 29, 2019}}</ref> He died in [[Charlottesville, Virginia|Charlottesville]] on October 29, 2019, while surrounded by his family. He was 79 years old.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wfirnews.com/news/former-governor-gerald-baliles-passes-away|title=Former Governor Gerald Baliles passes away|first=Gene|last=Marrano|date=October 29, 2019|website=News/Talk 960-AM & FM-107.3 WFIR|access-date=June 10, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/31/us/politics/gerald-baliles-dead.html|title = Gerald Baliles, Virginia Democratic Governor in '80s, Dies at 79|agency = [[Associated Press]]|work = [[The New York Times]]|date = October 31, 2019|access-date = October 31, 2019}}</ref> Virginia Governor [[Ralph Northam]] announced that state flags would fly at half mast until November 28, 2019, to honor Baliles' service to the Commonwealth.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.governor.virginia.gov/constituent-services/flag-information/flag-orders/title-of-flag-order-848890-en.html|title=Commonwealth of Virginia - Flag Orders|website=www.governor.virginia.gov|access-date=June 10, 2020|archive-date=June 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200616173550/https://www.governor.virginia.gov/constituent-services/flag-information/flag-orders/title-of-flag-order-848890-en.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==In Popular Culture==

In the 1988 NBC Miniseries [[The Murder of Mary Phagan]], filmed in the historical Shockoe Bottom section of Richmond, Baliles made a cameo appearance ("Sir, I'm from Virginia, and I protest")<ref>The Washington Post, July 4, 1987.</ref> as an advocate for [[Leo Frank]] begging for his execution for the murder of [[Mary Phagan]] being halted due to an unfair trial and prejudice.

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://millercenter.org Miller Center of Public Affairs]
* [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/05/AR2006120501631.html Washington Post article on Baliles and transportation]
* [http://www.virginia.edu/topnews/releases2005/20051216BalilesAnnouncement.html Baliles named Director of the Miller Center] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070101214518/http://www.virginia.edu/topnews/releases2005/20051216BalilesAnnouncement.html |date=January 1, 2007 }}
* [http://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaead/published/lva/vi00959.document A Guide to the Governor Gerald L. Baliles Executive Papers 1986–1990]
* {{C-SPAN|1408}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-legal}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Marshall Coleman]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Attorney General of Virginia]]|years=1982–1985}}
{{s-aft|after=[[William Broaddus]]}}
|-
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Chuck Robb]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for [[Governor of Virginia]]|years=[[1985 Virginia gubernatorial election|1985]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Douglas Wilder]]}}
|-
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=Chuck Robb}}
{{s-ttl|title=Governor of Virginia|years=1986–1990}}
{{s-aft|after=Douglas Wilder}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[John H. Sununu]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chair of the [[National Governors Association]]|years=1988–1989}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Terry Branstad]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Governors of Virginia}}
{{Virginia Attorneys General}}
{{National Governors Association chairs}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baliles, Gerald L.}}
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:2019 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American lawyers]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly]]
[[Category:21st-century American lawyers]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in Virginia]]
[[Category:Deaths from kidney cancer in the United States]]
[[Category:Democratic Party governors of Virginia]]
[[Category:Fishburne Military School alumni]]
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates]]
[[Category:Miller Center Affiliates]]
[[Category:People associated with Hunton Andrews Kurth]]
[[Category:People from Stuart, Virginia]]
[[Category:University of Virginia people]]
[[Category:University of Virginia School of Law alumni]]
[[Category:Virginia attorneys general]]
[[Category:Virginia lawyers]]
[[Category:Wesleyan University alumni]]