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Cathy Hudgins

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Catherine M. Hudgins
Member of the Fairfax County, Virginia
Board of Supervisors
from the Hunter Mill district
In office
2000–2019
Preceded byRobert B. Dix, Jr.
Succeeded byWalter L. Alcorn
Personal details
Born1944 (age 79–80)
Pine Bluff, Arkansas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseWillie L. Hudgins
Residence(s)Reston, Virginia, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Arkansas
(B.S.)
George Mason University (M.P.A.)
OccupationProgrammer, Politician
Websitewww.cathyhudgins.com

Catherine M. "Cathy" Hudgins (born 1944) is an American politician who served as a member of the Board of Supervisors for Fairfax County, Virginia, from 1999 to 2019, representing the Hunter Mill district, which includes Reston and Vienna. She is a member of the Democratic Party and was the first African American and non-white person elected to the Board of Supervisors.[1][2]

Political career

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Hudgins served as a Virginia national committeewoman on the Democratic National Committee for two terms starting in 1984.[3] She supported Jesse Jackson for president in the 1988 primaries.[4] In 1993, Hudgins was selected as Secretary of the Fairfax County Electoral Board, where she served until 1994. In 1995, she became Chief of Staff for Board of Supervisors Chair Katherine Hanley.[5]

Hudgins was elected to the Board of Supervisors in November 1999 in an upset.[6] She defeated incumbent Republican supervisor Robert B. Dix, Jr. Dix's share of the vote was split by an independent conservative candidate, John Thoburn, the owner of several Christian private schools and longtime opponent of the Supervisor.[7][8]

In 2003, Hudgins faced Republican J.D. "Doug" Bushee and defeated him 63%–36%.[9]

In 2007, Hudgins faced no major party opponents and defeated three independent candidates, including Marie T. Huhtala, a retired career foreign service officer who had previously served as Ambassador to Malaysia from 2001 to 2004. Michael Williams was also an independent, but later ran for office as a Republican and served in county Republican leader.[10] Geraldine A. Butkus appeared on the ballot as an independent but was affiliated with the Independent Green Party. In that year's campaign, the major issue was development in the Hunter Mill district, including the construction of high-density residences.[11][12]

In her last two campaigns for reelection, Hudgins was unopposed. In January 2019, she announced she would not run again in that fall's county election.[5] She was succeeded by fellow Democrat Walter L. Alcorn.

Personal life

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Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas in 1969, Hudgins was married to Willie L. Hudgins, Jr. for 48 years[13] In 1969, the Hudgins family moved to Reston, becoming some of the first residents of the planned community.[14] Hudgins worked for twelve years in the private sector for AT&T as a programmer, consultant, and analyst.[15] Willie Hudgins was a lawyer who was at one time section chief and chief litigator for the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice and later joined Kelley Drye & Warren.[13] In April 2013, Cathy Hudgins was diagnosed with noninvasive breast cancer.

Electoral history

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Election results of Cathy Hudgins
Year Office Election Party Votes % Opponent Party Votes % Opponent Party Votes % Opponent Party Votes %
1999 Fairfax County Board of Supervisors General[16] D 12,599 52.36% Robert B. Dix, Jr. R 10,536 43.78% John M. Thoburn I 929 3.86%
2003 Fairfax County Board of Supervisors General[17] D 14,831 63.24% J.D. "Doug" Bushee R 8,620 36.76%
2007 Fairfax County Board of Supervisors General[18] D 12,807 57.23% Marie T. Huhtala I 5,044 22.54% Mike J. "Spike" Williams I 3,665 16.38% Geraldine A. Butkus I 864 3.86%
2011 Fairfax County Board of Supervisors General[19] D 18,506 100.00%
2015 Fairfax County Board of Supervisors General[20] D 17,242 100.00%

References

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  1. ^ O'Donoghue, Julia (17–23 December 2008). "White Out" (PDF). The Connection. Vol. XXII, no. 51. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  2. ^ "Catherine M. Hudgins - 2007 - Board of Supervisors". Washington Post. 2008. Archived from the original on September 17, 2008. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
  3. ^ "About Supervisor Hudgins - Fairfax County, Virginia". Fairfax County. Archived from the original on August 6, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
  4. ^ Baker, Donald P.; Barnes, Robert (18 July 1988). "D.C. AREA DELEGATES HOPEFUL". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  5. ^ a b Woolsey, Angela (25 January 2019). "Hunter Mill District Supervisor Cathy Hudgins announces retirement". Fairfax Times. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  6. ^ Shear, Michael D. (1999-11-03). "Fairfax Democrats Keep Control of Board". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2015-11-27.
  7. ^ Shear, Michael (4 November 1999). "Reston Area Winner Mined Voter Unrest". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  8. ^ Shear, Michael D. (10 June 1999). "Conservative Joins Race Against Fairfax's Dix". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  9. ^ Branigin, William (5 October 2003). "Hunter Mill May Decide Who Rules". The Washington Post. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  10. ^ Hendry, Erica R. (3 March 2011). "Michael "Spike" Williams Announces Run For Chairman Of Board Of Supervisors". Patch Media. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  11. ^ Flook, William (30 May 2007). "Four-way race shaping up in Hunter Mill". Washington Examiner. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  12. ^ "Candidate: It's About Growth". The Connection. 26 June 2007. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  13. ^ a b "Obituary: Willie L. Hudgins, Jr., of Reston, Dies". The Connection. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  14. ^ Niebauer, Michael (22 September 2015). "On Robert E. Simon: 'I think the best way we can honor him is to model his principles'". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  15. ^ "Cathy Hudgins Bio". Cathy Hudgins. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
  16. ^ Fairfax County Office of Elections. FINAL RETURNS GENERAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 2, 1999 (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  17. ^ UNOFFICIAL RETURNS GENERAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 4, 2003 (PDF) (Report). Fairfax County Office of Elections. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  18. ^ OFFICIAL RETURNS GENERAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 6, 2007 (PDF) (Report). Fairfax County Office of Elections. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  19. ^ NOVEMBER 8, 2011 GENERAL AND SPECIAL ELECTIONS - OFFICIAL RETURNS (PDF) (Report). Fairfax County Office of Elections. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  20. ^ NOVEMBER 3, 2015 GENERAL AND SPECIAL ELECTIONS - OFFICIAL RETURNS (PDF) (Report). Fairfax County Office of Elections. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
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