Virginia Capitol Connections, 2025 Annual Magazine 4 I’ve Always Just Been Me Senator L. Louise Lucas By DAVID BAILEY To meet Senator Louise L. Lucas is to meet someone with grit, political savvy, and impeccable fashion sense. But in spite of her standout achievements, she remains down-to-earth. The oldest of seven children, whose father worked in the Norfolk shipyard, she was a daddy’s girl from the start. “I wanted to follow in his footsteps,” she said. She took some of the federal exams, including the U.S. Post Office, but her dexterity scores for the shipyard apprenticeship were higher— so that’s the path she chose. Some mornings, she watched her father walk through the gate. All this, at the young age of 21, when she had three children to care for. Lucas still describes her father in glowing terms: “My dad was a tough guy—he was a hunter, a fisherman, and an all-around sportsman. Since he didn’t have an older son, I was kind of his chief sidekick. So, I grew up pretty tough, you know?” We know! Lucas’s life is filled with firsts and bests. “A shipfitter helps weld and attach component parts of the ship. Let me give you an example—if I was working in the galley and we had to install metal cabinets, we would build those metal cabinets and weld them to the bulkhead or wherever they were supposed to go. Louise Lucas donning her political boxing gloves. Louise Lucas on the Senate floor.
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