Itimous Thaddeus, Jr., Valentine

Itimous Thaddeus “Tim” Valentine Jr. (March 15, 1926 – November 10, 2015) was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina, serving six terms from 1983 to 1995. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented North Carolina’s 2nd congressional district and contributed to the legislative process during a significant period in American history, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his constituents in the U.S. Congress.

Valentine was born on March 15, 1926, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, and attended public schools. He came from a family with a strong tradition of public service. His father, also named Itimous and known by that name, served as a justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court. His mother, the former Hazel Armstrong, was a postmistress. Among his extended family, his uncle, Frank A. Armstrong, rose to the rank of lieutenant general in the United States Air Force. These family influences helped shape Valentine’s early understanding of law, government, and national service.

During World War II, Valentine joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and served on active duty from 1944 to 1946. Following his military service, he pursued higher education. He graduated from The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1948. He then attended the law school of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning his law degree in 1952. That same year he was admitted to the North Carolina bar and began practicing law with a firm bearing his family name in Nashville, North Carolina, establishing himself as a local attorney and community figure.

Valentine’s political career began at the state level. He served in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 1955 to 1960, participating in state legislative affairs during a period of postwar growth and change in North Carolina. After leaving the state legislature, he continued to play an influential role in state politics. He served as an advisor and counsel to Governor Dan K. Moore and later chaired the executive committee of the North Carolina Democratic Party from 1966 to 1968. In 1968 he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, reflecting his growing prominence within the party at both the state and national levels.

In 1982, Valentine was elected to the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina’s 2nd congressional district. He took office in January 1983 and served six consecutive terms, remaining in Congress until January 1995. During his twelve years in the House of Representatives, he was a Democratic member who participated in the legislative process on a wide range of national and regional issues, representing the interests of his constituents during a time marked by the late Cold War, the end of the Soviet Union, and significant domestic policy debates. He did not stand for re-election in 1994 and retired from elected office when his final term expired in January 1995. In recognition of his public service, a portion of U.S. Highway 64 near Nashville, North Carolina, was named in his honor.

In his later years, Valentine remained a respected figure in North Carolina public life. He was married first to Betsy, with whom he had four children, including Phil Valentine, who became a talk radio host. He later married Barbara Reynolds and was survived by her, as well as four children from his first marriage, three stepchildren, nine grandchildren, five step-grandchildren, and a step-great-grandson. Valentine died at his home in Nashville, North Carolina, on November 10, 2015, from heart failure at the age of 89. His death came one week after that of his former Republican colleague from North Carolina, Howard Coble, who represented the state’s 6th congressional district.