Congressman from Virginia
D. French Slaughter, Jr. was born in Culpeper, Virginia in 1925 and attended public schools in Culpeper County. He attended Virginia Military Institute and graduated in 1953 with a B.A. and LL.B. from the University of Virginia, where he was a member of the prestigious Raven Society and of St. Anthony Hall. Slaughter served in the United States Army in combat infantry from 1943 to 1947 and was awarded the Purple Heart. He was admitted to the bar and practiced law in Culpeper.
He served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1958 to 1978, as a Democrat until 1974, when he became an independent. He was a member of the board of visitors of the University of Virginia from 1978 to 1982, where he also served as rector from 1980 to 1982. From 1981 to 1984 he served as aide to John Otho Marsh, Jr., the Secretary of the Army. Slaughter was elected to Congress from the 7th district of Virginia in 1985 as a Republican, and he was reelected three times. He resigned on November 5, 1991 due to a series of strokes and died in Charlottesville on October 2, 1998.
© by the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia
1800s