M. Wayne Huggins

Colonel Michael Wayne "Huggy Bear" Huggins, Sr. (b. March 10, 1949) was the Sheriff of Fairfax County from 1979 to 1990.

Early life

Huggins was born in East St. Louis, Illinois. Over the course of his childhood, Huggins lived in a number of places, including Illinois, Miami, Florida, St. Joseph, Missouri and Chicago, Illinois before moving to Arlington, Virginia in 1970. Huggins graduated from George Mason University with a B.A. in Psychology in 1978.

Professional Career

Huggins was employed by the United States Secret Service Executive Protective Service from 1970 until 1971.

Huggins became a Virginia State Police trooper in December 1971.

On December 9, 1974, the 25-year-old Huggins was elected the first president of the newly-formed Virginia State Police Association.[1]

Huggins began his service with the Fairfax County Sheriff's Office on May 1, 1978, when he was hired by Sheriff James D. Swinson to replace the recently fired Myron L. Greenquist.[2] Widely touted at the time of his hiring as a successor to the beleaguered sheriff, Huggins took over the top spot in the elections of 1979 defeating Democrat Kenneth R. Wilson and independents Christopher Stokes and James Settle.[2][3][4]

On February 9, 1990, Huggins left the Sheriff's Office when he was appointed by President George H. W. Bush as director of the National Institute of Corrections.[5]

In 1994, Huggins was appointed Superintendent of the Virginia State Police by Governor George Allen.[6] He resigned on January 28, 2000 to join Omniplex World Services.[7]

Colonel Huggins currently works as a lobbyist and executive director for the Virginia State Police Association.

Personal

Together with his wife Wanda, Huggins fathered two children Wayne Jr. and Sarah.[5]

References

  1. Dewar, Helen. "Unit Formed by Troopers in Virginia." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): D2. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Dec 11 1974. Web. 8 Feb. 2012.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Harden, Blaine. "Sheriff's New Aide Touted as Successor in Fairfax." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): B1. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). May 19 1978. Web. 8 Feb. 2012.
  3. "Virginia Election Results." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): A14. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Nov 07 1979. Web. 8 Feb. 2012.
  4. Holt, Brad. "Huggins Wins 4-Way Sheriff Race" Evening Star, 7 Nov. 1979, Three Star HOME FINAL, p. 65. NewsBank. Accessed 8 Jan. 2018.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Davis, Patricia, and Stephen C. Fehr. "Fairfax's Sheriff to Run Agency;Huggins Leaving for Federal Position." The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext): d.05. National Newspapers Core. Jan 25 1990. Web. 8 Feb. 2012.
  6. "Virginia State Police History." Virginia State Police. Virginia Department of State Police, 2009. Web. 08 Feb. 2012.
  7. "Metro in Brief:State Police Leader Huggins Resigns." The Washington Post: B.03. National Newspapers Core. Jan 14 2000. Web. 8 Feb. 2012.