US Representative Donald McEachin dies at age 61

November 30, 2022

On Monday, United States Representative died, according to a statement released by his office. McEachin, a Democrat and the third Virginia has ever sent to the US House, was 61.

Aston Donald McEachin, first elected to Congress in 2016, was born on October 10, 1961 in, , while his father was assigned there for the. McEachin attended, earning a bachelor's degree in political history in 1982, before enrolling in the and earning a  there in 1986. He also received a from  in 2008. After graduating from law school, McEachin was a private practice attorney.

McEachin was a member of the from 1996 to 2002 and 2006 to 2008; he then served in the  from 2008 to 2016.

US Representative Bobby Scott, also a Virginia Democrat and the second African American the state elected to the US House, noted that McEachin was “the first African-American nominee of a major party for .”

In 2016, McEachin was elected to the US House from, which is centered around the state capital of Richmond. He was reelected to a fourth term in.

McEachin advocated for climate change, preserving civil rights, and reducing firearm violence during his time in Congress.

His office's statement continued, “Valiantly for years now, we have watched him fight and triumph over the secondary effects of his from 2013...Tonight, he lost that battle.”