Connolly is remembered as a champion for federal workers
Rep. Gerry Connolly, who represented Fairfax County residents for 30 years, died at his home on May 21. He was 75. He announced in March that his esophageal cancer, first diagnosed in November, had returned.
Connolly’s career in public service began in 1995 when he was elected to represent the Providence District on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. In 2003, he was elected board chair.
“During his tenure as chairman, Gerry helped transform Northern Virginia by expanding access to affordable housing, securing critical investments in transportation infrastructure, and so much more, leading to Fairfax County’s recognition as a Best Managed County,” states the Mason District Democratic Committee.
In 2008, Connolly was elected to represent Virginia’s 11th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. “He became one of the most outspoken advocates for federal workers and against the current administration and never shied away from taking on injustice,” the Mason Democrats say.
Related story: Rep. Connolly will not seek re-election
“Congressman Gerry Connolly was more than a public servant – he was a singular figure and force for good in our community, in the commonwealth, and across the country,” says Braddock Supervisor James Walkinshaw, who formerly served as Connolly’s chief of staff. “He brought unmatched intellect, integrity, and energy to every challenge he faced.”
“His legacy is etched into every corner of our community – from the Oakton Library and the Mosaic District to the Silver Line and the Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail,” Walkinshaw says. “He fought tirelessly for people and communities who most needed a voice; the unhoused, the impoverished, and those suffering from illness or addiction.”
“Gerry Connolly was a mentor, a friend, and one of the most formative figures in my life,” he says. “Because of him, I am a better husband, father, and public servant. I will carry his wisdom – and his fierce love for this community – with me for the rest of my life.”
After Connolly said in April that he would not seek re-election to Congress, Walkinshaw launched a campaign for the 11th District. Two other Democrats subsequently joined the race – state Sen. Stella Pekarsky and Planning Commissioner Candace Bennett.
The seat had been up for the 2026 midterms, but now a special election is expected to be called.
In Congress, Connolly was the ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
According to an obituary in the Washington Post, Connolly championed remote-work opportunities for government employees through the 2010 Telework Improvements Act. He co-sponsored the 2014 Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act, which sped up processing times for Social Security benefits and veterans’ services, strengthened hospital cybersecurity, and bolstered air traffic-safety systems.
He fought back against President Trump’s abuses of executive power, threatening jail time for administration officials who resisted subpoenas. He led the effort to block Trump from adding a citizenship status question to the 2020 Census, and fought to preserve collective bargaining rights for unions representing federal employees.
The Center for Effective Lawmaking named Connolly the “most effective lawmaker” of the 2021-2023 congressional session. The center cited his work to replenish the Highway Trust Fund, protect federal whistleblowers, and extend retirement benefits to disabled first responders.
As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the obituary states, Connolly consistently raised concerns about human rights violations, speaking out against autocrats Vladimir Putin of Russia and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and the Saudi crown prince who ordered the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Connolly was born in Boston in 1950. His father, an insurance salesman, and his mother, a nurse, encouraged his early interest in Democratic politics and public service, the obituary states.
At 15, Gerry enrolled in the Maryknoll Fathers Junior Seminary in Pennsylvania. He spent six years studying for the priesthood before becoming disillusioned with the church’s silence on the Vietnam War.
In 1971, he received a degree in literature from Maryknoll College in Glen Ellyn, Ill., and earned a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government in 1979.
His professional career included executive director of the U.S. Committee for Refugees, staff aide for the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, vice president of economic policy at the Washington office of SRI International, and vice president of community relations for the defense contractor SAIC.
He got into local politics after a leak at a petroleum tank polluted the streams and water supply in his neighborhood at Mantua in Fairfax. As president of the community association, he negotiated a settlement with the tank farm owners to guarantee home prices and persuaded the county to provide public water.
Connolly is survived by his wife, Catherine “Smitty” Smith, a former nun, and their daughter, Caitlin Connolly.
