Jack Herrity

Who is Jack Herrity?

John F. "Jack" Herrity was a politician from Fairfax County, Virginia. He served as the chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors from 1976 to his defeat for reelection by Democrat Audrey Moore. He has previously served as a member of the board, representing the Springfield district, from 1971 to his being elected Chairman in 1975. He was the father of current member of the Board of Supervisors and Congressional candidate, Pat Herrity.

Herrity served as Chairman during Fairfax County's period of growth in the last few decades of the 20th century, when the County, previously known as a quiet suburb of Washington, D.C.; became the high population center of the Dulles Technology Corridor that it is known as presently. During that period of growth, the Board advocated for the construction of Interstate 66 inside the Capital Beltway and for the Dulles Toll Road, as well as for a major expansion of Tysons Corner, Virginia, which now is home to many employers in the information technology industry.

Herrity's legacy remains important to Virginia and D.C. area politics. Herrity re-imagined the office of Board Chairman from that of a parliamentarian to that of a de facto Mayor who was the spokesman for county government and the public face of the county. The increased profile of the Chairmanship would subsequently help Herrity's successors Tom Davis and Gerry Connolly to use it as a springboard to consequential careers in the U.S. Congress.