John Glenn Beall, Jr.

Who was John Glenn Beall, Jr.?

John Glenn Beall, Jr. was a Republican member of the United States Senate, representing the State of Maryland 1971–1977. He was also a member of the Maryland House of Delegates 1962–1968, and the U.S. House of Representatives from the sixth district of Maryland from 1969 to 1971. His father, James Glenn Beall, was also a senator and representative from Maryland.

Beall was born in Cumberland, Maryland, served in the United States Navy from 1945 to 1946, and graduated from Yale University in 1950. He then went into the insurance business as a member of the general insurance firm of Beall, Garner & Geare, Inc.

In 1962, Beall was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates and was re-elected in 1966. He served as minority floor leader beginning in 1963, until his 1968 election as a Republican to the 91st Congress.

Beall served one term as a congressman and was elected in 1970 as a Republican to the U.S. Senate. He failed to be re-elected in 1976, losing to Democratic rival Paul Sarbanes by 39% to 57%. His eighteen-point margin of defeat is one of the ten worst defeats for an incumbent senator in U.S. history. With Aris T. Allen as his running mate, Beall ran for Governor of Maryland in 1978, but was unsuccessful, losing to the Democratic candidate Harry R. Hughes.