Walter Henry Maxwell was a Baptist minister and Virginia politician from Newport News, Virginia

Newport News, Virginia

Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...

, elected as Democrat to the Virginia House of Delegates

Virginia House of Delegates

The Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbered years. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is elected from among the...

 and Virginia Senate.

Early life

Maxwell was born April 3, 1935 in Reidsville, North Carolina

Reidsville, North Carolina

Reidsville is a city located in Rockingham County, North Carolina. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 14,485.Originally established in the early 19th century as an outpost and stop on the stage line that ran between Salisbury, NC and Danville, VA called Wrights Crossroads,...

. Maxwell attended Norfolk State University

Norfolk State University

Norfolk State University is a four-year, state-supported, coed, liberal arts, historically black university located in Norfolk, Virginia. It is member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund and the Virginia High-Tech Partnership.-Academics:...

 and Virginia State University

Virginia State University

Virginia State University is a historically black and land-grant university located north of the Appomattox River in Chesterfield, in the Richmond area. Founded on , Virginia State was the United States's first fully state-supported four-year institution of higher learning for black Americans...

, and earned a Bachelor of Theology degree from Virginia Seminary and College in 1974. He was the minister of Ivy Baptist Church in Newport News, Virginia.

Political career

In 1983, he was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, representing the 95th House District. Maxwell served in the House for ten years before being elected to the Virginia Senate from the 2nd District

Virginia Senate, District 2

District 2 of the Virginia Senate is a senatorial district that encompasses parts of the cities of Hampton, Newport News, Portsmouth and part of York County. The current Senator from District 2 is Mamie Locke.-Historical boundaries:...

. He was first elected in a special election in December 2003, following the resignation of Bobby Scott after Scott's election to the U.S. Congress. In the Senate, Maxwell served on the Committees on Rehabilitation and Social Services, Commerce and Labor, General Laws, and Transportation. He was reelected in 1995 and 1999, however, Maxwell did not seek reelection in 2003 due to health issues.

Death

Maxwell died of complications from diabetes and Parkinson's disease on November 13, 2010 while staying with his daughter near Detroit, Michigan

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...

. He was buried in Newport News.