John M. Slack, Jr.

John Mark Slack, Jr. ( born March 18, 1915 in Charleston, West Virginia; † March 17, 1980 in Alexandria, Virginia ) was an American politician. Between 1959 and 1963 he represented the sixth and 1963-1980 the third electoral district of the state of West Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Career

John Slack attended the public schools in Charleston and then the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington. Between 1948 and 1952 he was employed at the District Court in Kanawha County. He was subsequently 1952-1958 Administrative Officer ( County Assessor ) in this county.

Politically Slack was a member of the Democratic Party. In 1958 he became as their candidate in the sixth district of West Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington DC selected. There he came into effect on January 3, 1959 the successor of Robert Byrd, who moved to the U.S. Senate, where he officiated until today and thus set a new term of office record for U.S. senators. After a re-election in 1960 Slack could represent the sixth constituency in Congress until January 3, 1963. After the dissolution of the district in 1962 as a result of a census and a redistribution of electoral districts Slack candidate in the third district of West Virginia. He beat the incumbent Congressman Cleveland M. Bailey in the primaries of his party. After he won the election itself, Slack was able to continue his tenure in Congress without interruption. After eight elections he remained until his death on March 17, 1980 at the Congress. In his tenure, among others, the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, the Moon landing, the Watergate and the assassination of John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert and Martin Luther King. During this time, four constitutional amendments were discussed and adopted.

Following a special election held by the John Slack deputy seat fell to his party colleague John G. Hutchinson, the Slacks ended last legislative session.