On U.S. House Floor, Spanberger Honors Life of Community Leader Dr. George M. Hampton

George M. Hampton Middle School in Dale City was Named After the Late Research Scientist, Veteran, Military Instructor, Educator, Historian, & Activist

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger today honored the life of Dr. George M. Hampton on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Dr. Hampton — a legendary Prince William County community leader and longtime pillar of Virginia’s African American community — passed away last month at the age of 95.

Click here to watch Spanberger’s comments, and a full transcript is below.

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Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Dr. George M. Hampton.

Dr. Hampton passed away late last month at the age of 95. And I was honored to have met this stalwart Virginia leader.

In the days since his passing, I’ve heard directly from many in the Prince William County community about his outsized role in standing up for fair political representation. I’ve heard about his service as a mentor to the next generation of leaders. And the community has celebrated what a dedicated man he was in his professional and personal life to the service of others in his community.

Dr. Hampton truly lived his values — one of which was education. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from North Carolina A&T University, a master’s degree from Virginia State University, and a Doctor of Arts in Education from the University of Central Arizona.

Dr. Hampton then dedicated himself to educating the next generation as an adjunct professor of psychology at the Far East Division of the University of Maryland — as well as an adjunct professor of human relations at Pepperdine University.

Dr. Hampton also valued service to country. He served for more than two decades in the United States Army, fulfilling various command and staff assignments — and spending four years as an Assistant Professor of Military Science at Virginia State University. He was awarded the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, and the Army Commendation Medal during his military service. And he retired from the Army in 1971 as a Lieutenant Colonel.

Following his retirement from the military, Dr. Hampton held many positions that allowed him to have a hand in shaping future leaders — both within and outside of military service. One such role was as co-director of the Marine Corps Leadership and Human Relations Institute in San Diego, California, where he helped train leadership instructors for the formal schools at Quantico — in Virginia’s Seventh District — and other major installations.

Throughout decades of service to the Commonwealth of Virginia, Dr. Hampton was appointed — by both Democrats and Republicans — to hold various notable positions. In 1982, Governor Charles Robb appointed him to the Virginia Parole Board. Reappointed by Governor Gerald Baliles, he served on this Board until 1990. In 1995, Governor George Allen appointed him to a four-year term on the State Board of Elections, where he served as Vice Chairman until January 1999.

In July 2003, then-Governor Mark Warner appointed him as a member of the Board of Visitors at Virginia State University where he served until July 2007. He was also a member of the Virginia State University Foundation.

Dr. Hampton was also appointed to serve on the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court Citizens Advisory Council, as well as the Prince William County representative to the Board of Directors of Northern Virginia Community College.

As a 47-year resident of Prince William County, Dr. Hampton played an active role in his community. He was a proud founding member of the Pi Lambda Lambda Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. For seven years from 1975 until 1982, Dr. Hampton served as the Political Advisor to the Prince William County branch of the NAACP.

Dr. Hampton was a member of the Disabled American Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Korean Veterans, Military Officers Association of America, and Fellowship Club of Prince William County.

The impact Dr. Hampton had on his community is clear — leading him to become the namesake of the George M. Hampton Foundation.

Sponsored by the Pi Lambda Lambda Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. and founded on the idea of helping those in need throughout Prince William County and surrounding communities, the Foundation provides thousands of dollars in scholarships to local high school students each year.

On top of decades of committed service of his own, one of his greatest attributes was his desire to recognize the service of others.

He was one of the originators of the Prince William County Walk of Fame — permanent granite plaques recognizing the accomplishments of community servants in our county.

And I have been proud to join in celebrating his legacy as a pioneer of remembering Black history and culture in Prince William County and across the Commonwealth. For years, long before we recognized Juneteenth as a federal holiday, Dr. Hampton celebrated the holiday in his own backyard. And I was overjoyed to have the opportunity to celebrate with him on Juneteenth last year.

Perhaps one of his proudest accomplishments, he served as a living inspiration and role model to Virginia students attending the school in Dale City named in his honor.

Dr. Hampton met with students of George M. Hampton Middle School regularly. He shared his stories, his memories, historic moments of his life in Virginia, and he offered them encouragement — in addition to raising funds for the school.

Please join me in remembering Dr. Hampton.

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