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2006 SPECIAL SESSION I
WHEREAS, Josiah Horton Beeman of Falls Church, respected public servant and retired United States Ambassador to New Zealand and Western Samoa, died on June 14, 2006; and
WHEREAS, Josiah Beeman earned a bachelor's degree from Reed College in Portland, Oregon, and a master's degree in government from San Francisco State University; and
WHEREAS, throughout his lifetime, Josiah Beeman served with distinction in government and politics, holding many leadership positions in California and in Washington, D.C., including the board of supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco, staff director of the United States House of Representatives’ Democratic Caucus, and director for Political and Legislative Affairs of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; and
WHEREAS, Josiah Beeman also worked steadfastly to further the numerous missions of the Presbyterian Church; and
WHEREAS, Josiah Beeman first served the church in an official post in 1963, when he was named director of education for the Northern California Council of Churches; he went on to serve as the Presbyterian church’s secretary for international affairs and as the director of its Washington, D.C., office; and
WHEREAS, in the 1980s, Josiah Beeman was instrumental in the establishment of the Presbyterian Committee on Northern Ireland and the Irish Summer Institute, which fostered important liaisons between the clergy and the laity in the United States and Northern Ireland; and
WHEREAS, in 1983 Josiah Beeman founded Beeman & Associates, a Sacramento government relations firm that represented state agencies and health organizations for over a decade; and
WHEREAS, a passionate and hard-working political strategist, Josiah Beeman worked on several national election bids and Presidential campaigns over the years; and
WHEREAS, in 1994 President Bill Clinton appointed Josiah Beeman as the United States Ambassador to New Zealand and Western Samoa, in recognition of his major role in efforts to promote peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland; and
WHEREAS, after five years in service to his country abroad, Josiah Beeman returned home to become chief of staff of the United States Broadcasting Agency, which produces Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and other stations; and
WHEREAS, after a long and fulfilling career in public life, Josiah Beeman continued to serve the community in his retirement as the chairman of the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board and on several boards and committees, including the session at Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church and the board of directors of the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation; and
WHEREAS, Josiah Beeman will be fondly remembered and missed by his devoted wife, Susan, and his children, Olivia Louise and Josiah Horton Beeman VI, all of Falls Church; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly mourn the passing of a fine Virginian, Josiah Horton Beeman; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Josiah Horton Beeman as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.