2026 SESSION
ENROLLED
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 271
Celebrating the life of Donald Wise Huffman.
Agreed to by the Senate, March 11, 2026
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 12, 2026
WHEREAS, Donald Wise Huffman, a distinguished attorney, statewide political leader, and devoted advocate for his alma mater, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, passed away on December 5, 2025, his 98th birthday; and
WHEREAS, a native of Lexington, Donald “Don” Huffman graduated from Lexington High School in 1945 before enrolling at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) where he served as battalion commander of the Cadet Corps, a member of the German Club, a member of the Honor Court, and in Omicron Delta Kappa; and
WHEREAS, Don Huffman served the nation in the United States Army from 1946 to 1947 before returning to Virginia Tech where he graduated with the Class of 1950; and
WHEREAS, Don Huffman earned his juris doctor magna cum laude from Washington & Lee University Law School, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, then began a legal career that spanned more than 40 years, including service as a United States Magistrate and Assistant United States Attorney; and
WHEREAS, Don Huffman rose to prominence in the Republican Party of Virginia by helping guide Richard D. Obenshain's election as its chair in 1972, before he himself was elected as state chair from 1982 to 1992, making him the longest-serving chair in the party's history and a significant figure in transitioning Virginia to a competitive two-party state; and