Herb Bateman

American politician (1928–2000)

Herbert Harvell Bateman (August 7, 1928 – September 11, 2000) was an American politician in Virginia. He was a nine term member of the United States House of Representatives, serving as a Republican from 1983 until his death from natural causes in Leesburg, Virginia in 2000.

Bateman was born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina on August 7, 1928. However, he lived most of his life in Newport News, Virginia. A graduate of Newport News High School in 1945, Bateman went on to William and Mary to earn a Bachelor's degree.

After graduation, he briefly taught at Hampton High School from 1949 to 1951, when he commissioned in the United States Air Force as a first lieutenant during the Korean War. He was a special agent at the U. S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI or OSI) and served until 1953.

Upon his return home, Bateman enrolled in the Law Center at Georgetown University, where in 1956 he earned his law degree. He served a short time as a clerk for the United States Court of Appeals in Washington, D. C. before practicing law privately in Newport News from 1968 to 1983. During this period he worked to build a political base through community activism and membership in the Virginia Jaycees. Bateman served as president of the Virginia Jaycees and National legal counsel for the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce.

Bateman was elected to the Senate of Virginia for 14 years, representing a portion of Newport News. He was originally a Democrat, but became a Republican in 1976. In 1982, he was elected to succeed Paul S. Trible, Jr. as the representative for the 1st District in the United States House of Representatives. He won his first contest with 55 percent of the vote and was reelected eight times. He would only face another contest anywhere near that close, when Democrat Andrew Fox held him to only 51 percent of the vote. However, after the 1990 Census, most of Bateman's black constituents in Hampton and Newport News were drawn into the new 3rd district, allowing Bateman to consolidate his hold on the seat. Bateman's voting record was moderate by Southern Republican standards; he had a lifetime rating of 79 from the American Conservative Union. He was a strong supporter of controlling government spending. However, he was particularly active on defense issues. Since Newport News was a center for military work, he strongly supported military spending. He was a member of the Armed Forces and Transportation Infrastructure Committees for nearly all of his career, and chaired the House Armed Forces Subcommittee on Military Readiness and the House Merchant Marine Panel. He also served his constituents as a member of organizations such as the Virginia Jaycees, Peninsula United Way and Red Cross Blood Donor Program.

Health was a major concern for Bateman during the 1990s. In 1990, he was diagnosed with lung and prostate cancer. In 1995, he suffered a heart attack, but was able to recover. He had surgery to remove cancer from his right lung in 1998, and had a partial blockage of a major artery removed in 1999. He was diagnosed with a cancerous lymph node in January 2000, which prompted him to not seek re election. Bateman died on September 11, 2000, from natural causes. He was in Leesburg, Virginia, at the time for a golf tournament. He was serving out the remainder of his ninth term at the time of his death. He is buried in Peninsula Memorial Park in Newport News, Virginia. He and his wife, Laura, had two children, a son and daughter. His son, Herbert H. Bateman Jr., presently serves on the Newport News City Council as Vice Mayor and on the Peninsula Airport Commission. Daughter, Laura Margaret Bateman, is the principal of Bateman Consulting, a government and public affairs consulting firm. His papers from his time as a state senator as well as from his time in Congress can be found at the Special Collections Research Center at the College of William & Mary.