Robert S. Burruss Jr.
| Robert Sidney Burruss Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Virginia Senate from the 12th district |
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In office January 1964 – January 1966 |
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| Preceded by | Mosby Perrow Jr. |
| Member of the Virginia Senate from the 10th district |
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In office January 1966 – January 1972 |
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| Member of the Virginia Senate from the 23rd district |
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In office January 1972 – January 1976 |
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| Succeeded by | Elliot S. Schewel |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 9, 1914 Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | June 21, 1978 (aged 63) Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret (Peggy) Hanna Brooks |
| Alma mater | Virginia Tech (B.S.) |
| Occupation | businessman |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1941–1945 |
| Rank | LTC |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Robert Sidney Burruss Jr. (Nov. 9, 1914 – June 21, 1978) was a state Senator and businessman from Lynchburg, Virginia. In 1963 he became the first Republican elected to represent the area since Congressional Reconstruction.
Born in Lynchburg, Virginia to R.S. Burruss and his wife, Ada Steptoe Moorman, Buruss attended the public schools, including E.C. Glass High School. He then attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg, Virginia, graduating with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering.
During World War II, Burruss served in the United States Army Corps of Engineers, mostly in the European Theater, for five years from 1940 to 1945. He was discharged with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
He married Margaret H. Brooks on May 24, 1947, and they had children Rebecca Moorman Burruss (b. 1948), James Robert Burruss (b. 1950), Hanna Brooks Burruss Whaley (b. 1953) and Mary Scott Burruss (b. 1957).
Burruss operated the R.S. Burruss Lumber Company and Ralco Stores, Inc. together with his relative William H. Burruss. He also served as director of the Royal Crown Bottling Company of Lynchburg, the Lynchburg branch of the First and Merchants National Bank, and the Lumber Manufacturers Association of Virginia (also once as president).
Democrat and lawyer Mosby Perrow Jr. represented Lynchburg (part-time) for two decades in the Virginia state Senate. However, desegregation following the U.S. Supreme Court decisions in Brown v. Board of Education was very controversial, as Virginia's Democratic U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd and his Byrd Organization called for Massive Resistance, and successive Virginia governors even shut down schools rather than permit them to desegregate. After Governor J. Lindsay Almond Jr. split with the Byrd Organization and agreed to reopen schools after decisions by the Virginia Supreme Court and a 3-judge federal district court panel on January 19, 1959, the Perrow Commission was formed to transition. In the next Democratic primary election, however Perrow faced opposition, and lost his bid for re-election to fellow Democrat Bert F. Dodson. However, Republican Burruss narrowly defeated Dodson in the general election (6904 votes to 6694), and so succeeded Perrow to what was then the 12th senatorial district seat in 1964.
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