A. Willis Robertson

Absalom Willis Robertson (1887-1971) -- also known as A. Willis Robertson -- of Lexington, Va. Father of Pat Robertson. Born in Martinsburg, W.Va., May 27, 1887. Democrat. Lawyer; member of Virginia state senate, 1916-22; major in the U.S. Army during World War I; U.S. Representative from Virginia, 1933-46 (at-large 1933-35, 7th District 1935-46); U.S. Senator from Virginia, 1946-67; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Virginia, 1948, 1952. Baptist. Member, Society of the Cincinnati; Sons of Confederate Veterans; Freemasons; Omicron Delta Kappa; Phi Alpha Delta; Phi Beta Kappa; Pi Kappa Alpha. Died in Lexington, Va., November 1, 1971. Interment at Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery, Lexington, Va.

Additional :

A Representative and a Senator from Virginia; born in Martinsburg, Berkeley County, W.Va., May 27, 1887; moved to Lynchburg, Va., with his parents in 1891; attended the public schools of Lynchburg and Rocky Mount, Va.; graduated from the University of Richmond, Richmond, Va., in 1907, and from its law department in 1908; was admitted to the bar in 1908 and commenced practice in Buena Vista, Va.; moved to Lexington, Rockbridge County, Va., in 1919 and continued the practice of law; member, State senate 1916-1922; during the First World War served in the United States Army as assistant camp adjutant at Camp Lee, Va., and in the Adjutant General's Office, Washington, D.C., with the rank of major 1917-1919; served as Commonwealth's attorney for Rockbridge County 1922-1928; chairman of the State commission of game and inland fisheries 1926-1932; elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-third Congress; reelected to the six succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1933, until November 5, 1946, when he resigned; was nominated to the Eightieth Congress in 1946 but withdrew, having received the nomination for United States Senator; elected in 1946 as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy in the term ending January 3, 1949, caused by the death of Carter Glass; reelected in 1948, 1954, and 1960, and served from November 6, 1946, until his resignation December 30, 1966; unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1966; co-chairman, Joint Committee on Defense Production (Eighty-fifth, Eighty-seventh, and Eighty-ninth Congresses), chairman, Committee on Banking and Currency (Eighty-sixth through Eighty-ninth Congresses); served as consultant to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development 1966-1968; retired and resided in Lexington, Va., until his death there November 1, 1971; interment in Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery.

Lake Robertson is a 31-acre impoundment tucked in the mountainous terrain of western Rockbridge County. The lake was constructed in 1971 and appropriately named in honor of an ardent sportsman, Senator A. Willis Robertson. Lake Robertson is the focal point for a 581 acre tract of Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) land, most of which is managed for hunting. Approximately 75 acres are leased to Rockbridge County to operate a park and recreation facility around the lake.