Toddy Puller
Toddy Puller | |
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Member of the Virginia Senate from the 36th district |
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Assumed office January 12, 2000 |
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Preceded by | Joseph V. Gartlan, Jr. |
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 44th district |
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In office January 8, 1992 – January 12, 2000 |
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Preceded by | Gerald Fill |
Succeeded by | Kristen J. Amundson |
Personal details | |
Born | Cedar Rapids, Iowa |
January 19, 1945
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Lewis Burwell Puller, Jr. (died 1994) |
Children | Lewis, Maggie |
Residence | Mount Vernon, Virginia |
Alma mater | Mary Washington College |
Occupation | Consultant |
Committees |
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Religion | Episcopalian |
Website | www.toddy.org |
Linda Todd "Toddy" Puller (born January 19, 1945, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa) is an American politician. A Democrat, she served in the Virginia House of Delegates 1992–99 and was elected to the Senate of Virginia in November 1999. She currently represents[update] the 36th district, made up of parts of Fairfax and Prince William counties.[1]
Personal life
Puller's father was a United States Army officer. She received a B.A. degree in Art History from Mary Washington College in 1967, after which she taught elementary school in Woodbridge, Virginia.[2][3]
Puller married Lewis Burwell Puller, Jr., son of United States Marine Corps General Chesty Puller. Her husband lost both legs in the Vietnam War and spent years fighting depression. He committed suicide in 1994, two years after winning a Pulitzer Prize for his autobiography, Fortunate Son. A biography of Lewis Puller includes this comment,
- It was primarily through the patience and unflagging love of his wife (to whom the book is dedicated) that Puller was able to survive his recuperation. Not that that love was untested: at their initial reunion, Puller, confined to a wheelchair, instructed his five-months-pregnant wife to divorce him rather than be burdened by a cripple. Toddy persevered, helping Puller through law school and assisting him in his unsuccessful bid for a seat in Congress. It was the failure of this Congressional run that drove Puller to heavy alcoholism and, ultimately, to attempt suicide--only to be saved, once again, by his wife. "Toddy," observed New York Times reviewer Herbert Mitgang, "is something of a heroine in the story; her loyalty makes the author seem like a very fortunate husband."[4]
They had one son, Lewis, who became a professional athlete, and a daughter, Maggie.[2]
She had a stroke and is currently paralyzed on one side of her body.[who?]
Legislative career
Puller is a member of the Senate committees on Commerce and Labor, Courts of Justice, Local Government, Rehabilitation and Social Services (Chair), and Rules. In 2010 55% of the bills she sponsored or supported passed the Virginia Senate. Of all of the co-patrons of her bills, 56% were Democrats, 44% were Republicans.[5]
In 2011, the Family Foundation of Virginia scored Puller's voting record as a 7 of 100.[6]
The American Conservative Union gave Puller a 0% on their state legislative ratings.[7]
In 2006, the Virginia League of Conservation Voters announced that she achieved 100% Legislative Hero status for the year for her votes on conservation issues.[8]
In July 2011, Gov. McDonnell signed ‘Ashley’s Law’ which requires emergency responders to use their flashing lights and sirens when entering an intersection against a red light or else yield to traffic. The bill had been written and sponsored by Puller after a young woman was killed in 2008 when her automobile was struck crossing US Route 1 in Fairfax County, Virginia by a speeding police vehicle whose driver had not activated the siren.[9]
According to the AP, she has been "the Senate's most forceful and authoritative voice for veterans' issues" for her work on property tax exemptions for disabled veterans, and her support of Virginia's Wounded Warriors Program.[10]
Puller was re-elected to the Virginia Senate in November 2011 with 55% of the votes.[11]
Notes
- ↑ Senate of Virginia bio Archived January 15, 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ "Lewis B(urwell) Puller, Jr." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2000. Gale Biography In Context. Accessed 9 Nov. 2011.
- ↑ Richmond Sunlight » Senator Toddy Puller (D-Mount Vernon) retrieved: September 10, 2011
- ↑ http://familyfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/2010-2011-Report-Card-for-web1.pdf
- ↑ [1] Archived December 23, 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Toddy Puller | Energy and Experience Making a Difference
- ↑ Jackman, Tom. In Mt. Vernon, Gov. McDonnell signs ‘Ashley’s Law. Washington Post, Post Local 07/26/2011.
- ↑ [2][dead link]
- ↑ Puller Pulls Out Victory in Southern Fairfax County Senate District.[dead link] Rose Hill Patch, 09 November 2011.
References
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- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (Constituent/campaign website)
External links
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Project Vote Smart - Senator Linda Todd 'Toddy' Puller (VA)[dead link] profile
- Follow the Money - Linda T (Toddy) Puller
- Washington Post - Senate District 36 Race[dead link]
- Articles with dead external links from July 2015
- Articles containing potentially dated statements from January 2009
- All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases
- Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from September 2015
- Pages using div col with unknown parameters
- Virginia State Senators
- Members of the Virginia House of Delegates
- Women state legislators in Virginia
- 1945 births
- Living people
- People from Fairfax County, Virginia
- University of Mary Washington alumni
- Northern Virginia politicians
- Politicians from Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Virginia Democrats