Earl A. Fitzpatrick | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Virginia Senate from the Roanoke district | |
| In office January 1948 – January 1960 | |
| Preceded by | Leonard G. Muse |
| Succeeded by | William B. Hopkins |
| Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the Roanoke, Virginia district | |
| In office January, 1938 – January 1948 | |
| Preceded by | Marion S. Battle |
| Succeeded by | James Adam Bear |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 22, 1904 Roanoke, Virginia |
| Died | June 22, 1984 Roanoke, Virginia |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Mary Linn Petty |
| Residence | Roanoke, Virginia |
| Alma mater | Washington and Lee University |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Earl Abbath Fitzpatrick (September 22, 1904 – June 22, 1984) was a Virginia lawyer and member of the Virginia General Assembly representing Roanoke between 1940 and 1959, first as a delegate and then as a state Senator.[1] A lieutenant in the Byrd Organization, Fitzpatrick was active in the Massive Resistance to racial integration vowed by U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd after the U.S. Supreme Court decisions in Brown v. Board of Education. He introduced much of the segregationist legislation and was vice-chairman of the Boatwright Committee which investigated the NAACP for litigating on behalf of civil rights, before being defeated in the 1959 Democratic primary.