ARMISTEAD BOOTHE IS DEAD AT AGE 82: February 15, 1990

Armistead Lloyd Boothe, a Northern Virginia lawyer and former state senator who led the battle in Virginia against massive resistance, died yesterday. He was 82.

Mr. Boothe died of complications from Alzheimer's disease at Goodwin House West, an Episcopal retirement home in Falls Church.

A Democrat, he served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1948-56 and in the state Senate from 1956-64. "He had great political courage and was one of the leaders in the legislative battles over the poll tax and massive resistance," said William B. Spong Jr.

Spong, president of Old Dominion University in Norfolk and a fellow Democrat, served with Mr. Boothe in both the House and Senate.

Two years after a 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision calling for racial integration of public schools, the Virginia General Assembly enacted laws that proposed to cut off state funds and close schools rather than open them to blacks. The phrase "massive resistance" was coined by then U.S. Sen. Harry F. Byrd Sr., leader of the state's Democratic political machine.

Mr. Boothe, who in 1950 had introduced a bill to desegregate public areas, abhorred the policy. "He made it very clear that there was nothing you could give the next generation as important as knowledge," recalled former Delegate Dorothy McDiarmid.

Ms. McDiarmid of Vienna served in the House of Delegates at the time Mr. Boothe was in the Senate. She credited him for providing a voice of moderation at a time of high emotion. "It was certainly a very tough time. It pitted friend against friend." Schools in three localities were closed before the courts struck down Virginia's laws on massive resistance.

During his Senate years, Mr. Boothe was known as leader of the Young Turks, a group opposed to many Byrd machine policies. In 1954 the group kept the Senate in session two extra days, wresting compromises on additional money for education. The group also called for a special Assembly redistricting session which led to creation of the state's 10th Congressional District.

In 1966, two years after leaving the Senate, Mr. Boothe ran against Harry F. Byrd Jr. in a Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat held by Byrd's father. When the senior Byrd resigned because of poor health, a special election was held to fill his unexpired term.

"Armistead Boothe was an outstanding lawyer, a fine legislator and a very tough political opponent," Byrd said in a telephone interview from Winchester. Byrd won by 8,000 votes, the closest race he ever had. In subsequent races, Mr. Boothe, described by many as the epitome of the Southern gentleman, supported Byrd.

Mr. Boothe was a native of Alexandria and graduated from the University of Virginia in 1928. He attended law school there a year, before being named a Rhodes scholar. He studied law for two years at Oxford University.

He served as Alexandria's city attorney from 1939-43. During World War II, he was an officer in the Navy and saw combat in the Pacific theater from 1943-45.

In 1969, he left his law practice at Boothe, Dudley, Koontz, Blankingship & Stump (now McGuire, Woods, Battle & Boothe) to join the faculty at Virginia Theological Seminary as director of development. He held that position until 1976.

Mr. Boothe was a lifelong member of the Episcopal Church and served in various capacities at Christ Church in Alexandria. He was also a member of the board of Colonial Williamsburg.

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Thanks to Find A Grave user "K" for kindly providing this information.

Thanks to Find A Grave member Jay Kelly for providing the names of Armistead Boothe's parents.