Norman Sisisky; Virginia Lawmaker

Rep. Norman Sisisky, a conservative Virginia Democrat who was a strong advocate for defense spending during nine terms in Congress, died Thursday. He was 73.

Sisisky, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, died at his home in Petersburg two days after he was released from a hospital following lung cancer surgery, his office announced.

Sisisky made a fortune as a soft-drink bottler in Petersburg and was elected to the House of Representatives in 1982 after eight years in Virginia’s House of Delegates.

In the House, Sisisky joined with other conservative Democrats in a coalition known as the Blue Dogs. He advocated a balanced budget and increased defense spending and pushed to protect military bases in his district.

“As a member of the Blue Dogs Coalition, Norman constantly worked to move beyond partisanship and focus on progress,” said House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert. “He provided all of us in Congress with a bipartisan model to follow.”

Sisisky’s conservative record made him extremely popular in a district that has turned increasingly Republican in state and presidential elections. He was reelected to five consecutive terms without Republican opposition until 1992.

“He was amazingly effective as a politician,” said University of Virginia government professor Larry Sabato. “He defeated an incumbent [Republican Rep. Robert W. Daniel Jr.] and never again had a serious race. He had a few challengers, but they were always blown out of the water.”

Sisisky was born in Baltimore but grew up in Richmond. He graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1949 after serving in the Navy. An executive of Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of Petersburg, Sisisky was board chairman of the National Soft Drink Assn. from 1980 to 1982.

Republican Gov. Jim Gilmore will call a special election to fill Sisisky’s seat, the 4th District in southeast Virginia. Sisisky’s death leaves the U.S. House with 220 Republicans, 210 Democrats, two independents and three vacancies.

Sisisky is survived by his wife, Rhoda; four sons; and seven grandchildren.