RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — After a lengthy battle with colorectal cancer, Democratic U.S. Rep. Donald McEachin has died at 61 years old.
McEachin, who was recently reelected after winning Virginia’s 4th Congressional District race on Nov. 8, was a Richmond native and former Virginia state lawmaker.
Over the years, McEachin was a known environmentalist, civil rights advocate and public servant.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) released a statement saying: “Up until the very end, Don was a fighter. Even though he battled cancer and faced other trials in recent years, he never lost his focus on social and environmental justice. Tonight, Virginia has lost a great leader and I have lost a great friend.”
Born on Oct. 10, 1961, in Nuremberg, Germany, Aston Donald McEachin was the son of a U.S. Army veteran and a schoolteacher.
McEachin graduated from St. Christopher’s School in Richmond in 1979, later earning a bachelor’s degree at American University in 1982, followed by a law degree at the University of Virginia (U.Va.) in 1986.
McEachin and his wife, Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Colette McEachin, raised three children, Mac, Briana and Alexandra.
Photos of McEachin through the years
Donald McEachin Speaking at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture (Photo: 8News)
