LINWOOD HOLTON, JR. was born in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, on September 21, 1923. In 1944, Holton received a B.A. from Washington and Lee University. He received an LL.B. from Harvard Law School in 1949. Governor Holton served with the Submarine Force during World War II and he was a captain with the U.S. Naval Reserve. He served on the Virginia Republican State Central Committee and was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1960 and 1968. Holton has been a member of the Roanoke, Virginia; and American Bar Associations, president of the Roanoke Chapter of Washington and Lee Alumni Association, board member for the Roanoke Fine Arts Center, and National Governors’ Conference Executive Committee (1970-1971). Governor Holton chaired the Republican Governors Association (1972-1973) and the Southern Regional Education Board (1972-1973). He went on to serve briefly as Assistant Secretary of State for Congressional Relations, after which he joined the law firm of Hogan and Hartson in Washington, DC.