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2014 SESSION


HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 101
Celebrating the life of the Honorable Elise B. Heinz.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 3, 2014

 

WHEREAS, the Honorable Elise B. Heinz, a former member of the Virginia House of Delegates who ably represented the residents of Arlington and Alexandria and a longtime member of the Arlington community, died on January 19, 2014; and

WHEREAS, a native of Plainfield, New Jersey, Elise Heinz moved to Mason Neck in 1949; she graduated from George Washington High School in Alexandria and later earned a bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College; and

WHEREAS, in 1961, Elise Heinz earned a law degree from Harvard University, where she was elected as an editor of the Harvard Law Review and graduated as one of only five women in a class of 460; after graduation, she moved to Arlington and would proudly call the area home for the rest of her life; and

WHEREAS, Elise Heinz practiced law with a firm in Washington, D.C., until 1964, then did legal work for the Peace Corps, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and a federal appellate court judge; she subsequently opened her own firm, where she practiced law until 1990; and

WHEREAS, a passionate and devoted advocate for women’s rights, Elise Heinz lead efforts to reform discriminatory laws and secure ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution; and

WHEREAS, desirous to be of further service to the Commonwealth, Elise Heinz ran for and was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1977, where she represented the residents of the 23rd District for two terms; and

WHEREAS, Elise Heinz worked to enact important legislation and served on several committees, including Conservation and Natural Resources, General Laws, and Privileges and Elections; and

WHEREAS, after completing her service in the General Assembly, Elise Heinz remained a leader in the Arlington community; she was an outspoken champion of women’s rights for much of her life and continued to serve the Commonwealth as a Virginia representative on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Advisory Commission; and

WHEREAS, throughout her life, Elise Heinz donated her time and talents as a volunteer with many civic and service organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Women’s Legal Defense Fund, the Alexandria United Way, the Arlington County School Board, and the Virginia Advisory Committee of the United States Commission on Civil Rights; and

WHEREAS, a woman of great integrity, Elise Heinz served the community, the Commonwealth, and the nation with distinction; and

WHEREAS, Elise Heinz will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by her husband of 52 years, James E. Clayton; sons, Jonathan and David, and their families; numerous other family members and friends; and colleagues on both sides of the aisle; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Delegates hereby note with great sadness the loss of the Honorable Elise B. Heinz, a respected public servant and an admired member of the Arlington community; 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 the Honorable Elise B. Heinz as an expression of the House of Delegates’ respect for her memory.