John N. Dalton

This article is about the Governor of the U.S. state of Virginia. For the famous chemist, see John Dalton.

John N. Dalton
63rd Governor of Virginia
In office January 14, 1978 – January 16, 1982
Lieutenant	Chuck Robb
Preceded by	Mills E. Godwin, Jr.
Succeeded by	Chuck Robb
32nd Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
In office January 12, 1974 – January 14, 1978
Governor	Mills E. Godwin, Jr.
Preceded by	Henry Howell
Succeeded by	Chuck Robb
Member of the Virginia Senate from the 37th district
In office January 10, 1973 – December 4, 1973
Preceded by	James C. Turk
Succeeded by	Madison Marye
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates for Montgomery and Radford
In office January 12, 1966 – January 10, 1973
Preceded by	Kenneth I. Devore
Succeeded by	W. Ward Teel
Personal details
Born	John Clay Nichols (1931-07-11)July 11, 1931 Emporia, Virginia, U.S.
Died	Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Edwina Jeanette Panzer
Children	4
Alma mater	College of William & Mary University of Virginia
Profession	lawyer, politician
Religion	Baptist
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1954–1956
Rank	First lieutenant

John Nichols Dalton (July 11, 1931 – July 30, 1986) was the 63rd Governor of the U.S. state of Virginia, serving from 1978 to 1982. Dalton won the office with 55.9% of the vote, defeating Democrat Henry E. Howell, Jr and Independent Alan R. Ogden. Dalton had previously served as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia.

Biography

Born in Emporia, Virginia, Dalton also served in both houses of the General Assembly and as the 32nd Lieutenant Governor. He graduated from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and the University of Virginia Law School. As governor, he pursued policies of limited government. He also settled the federal lawsuit on the desegregation of Virginia's institutions of higher education.

Dalton Intermediate School, in Radford, Virginia, is named after the former governor. Dalton Hall, a building at Radford University that houses dining facilities, and the university bookstore is named for Dalton.

Dalton was the adopted son of Theodore Roosevelt Dalton, his uncle, who was the Republican candidate for Governor in 1953 and 1957, and his son-in-law, Steve Baril, sought the 2005 Republican nomination for attorney general of Virginia. As a young man his next-door neighbor was Charlotte Giesen, first Republican woman elected to the House of Delegates. Dalton died at 55 of lung cancer. He is buried at Sunrise Burial Park in Radford.

His personal papers, including those from his time as governor, are held by the Special Collections Research Center at the College of William & Mary. His executive papers from his time as governor are held by the Library of Virginia

References

• John Dalton, 55, Dies; Ex-Virginia Governor, New York Times, July 31, 1986
• Obituary, from Richmond Times-Dispatch
• Virginia Governor John Nichols Dalton, National Governors Association
• John N. Dalton, 1978–1982, UVa Cooper Center
• The Legacy of Governor Dalton by John Chichester

External links

• Finding aid for the John Dalton Papers

Political offices
Preceded by Henry Howell	Lieutenant Governor of Virginia 1974–1978	Succeeded by Chuck Robb
Preceded by Mills E. Godwin, Jr.	Governor of Virginia 1978–1982	Succeeded by Chuck Robb