Thomas J. Bliley Jr.
American politician (1932–2023)
Thomas Jerome Bliley Jr. (January 28, 1932 – November 16, 2023) was an American businessman, Navy veteran, and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from the Commonwealth of Virginia. From 1981 to 2001, he served ten consecutive terms in Congress, including six years as chairman of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Early life
Thomas Jerome Bliley Jr. was born in Chesterfield County, Virginia, on January 28, 1932, the son of Carolyn and Thomas J. Bliley. He attended Catholic schools and graduated in 1948 at the age of 16 from Benedictine High School.
In 1952, Bliley earned a B.A. in Political Science from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He subsequently served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy from 1952 to 1955. He worked as a funeral director for Joseph W. Bliley Co. Funeral Home, a family business, eventually serving as President.
Political career
In 1968, Bliley was elected vice-mayor of Richmond, Virginia.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Thomas J. Bliley Jr.” as american politician (1932–2023). Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
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Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2424940. VIAF identifies the subject as 91147849. The Library of Congress control number is no2009107373. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1932, 2023, 1981 and 2001.
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This entry incorporates text from “Thomas J. Bliley Jr.” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.