Former 2nd District congressman Owen Pickett dies

The three offices that former U.S. Rep. Owen B. Pickett maintained during his 14 years in Congress - in Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Washington - shared this feature: a sign that read, "This office belongs to the people of the 2nd congressional district of Virginia."

That simple motto, said those who knew him, exemplified Pickett's modest approach to elected office as a full-time post in which addressing constituent concerns was a priority and principle took precedence over partisanship.

"He took his job very seriously," said Jeanne Evans-Cox, who worked for Pickett throughout his congressional

career. "I used to call him the 'quiet warrior' because he didn't say an awful lot, but he took everything in. He was a great listener. He would size up the issue, figure out his strategy, give me directions, and we'd move forward."

Pickett, 80, died Wednesday due to complications from congestive heart failure.

The Democrat leaves behind scores of admirers on both sides of the aisle after a lengthy career as a lawyer, an esteemed state and federal legislator, and finally an adviser who provided counsel to plenty of political hopefuls.

A native of rural Hanover County in suburban Richmond, Pickett was raised in humble conditions. His father died when he was a young child, leaving his mother and an older brother to help support the family, according to friends.

It was evident early on that Pickett had a keen intellect, but he never used it to avoid hard work, recalled his lifelong friend George Campbell.

The pair attended Virginia Tech together, beginning in the late 1940s. Their paths separated when Pickett headed to law school at the University of Richmond, but the friendship endured. Campbell, who still lives in Hanover, routinely checked on a tract of land Pickett owned in central Virginia.

Campbell said that when they last spoke by phone about a week ago, Pickett realized the end was near and was at peace with it.

"We maintained a very close relationship, and I'd say he's the best friend I ever really had," Campbell said.

Many who knew Pickett had a similarly strong affection for him.

Ken Geroe, a Virginia Beach lawyer and longtime Pickett ally, called the late congressman a "dear friend and a mentor," adding "there's a hole in my life that won't be filled."

Geroe said he came to Pickett's attention through his work on Gerald Baliles' successful gubernatorial campaign in 1985, a contest in which the former congressman had a leadership role.

"He probably started talking to me because I was the only person at his desk at 6:30 in the morning he could talk to," said Geroe, a former Democratic chairman of the 2nd Congressional District.

Pickett failed in a 1967 run for Beach commonwealth's attorney, but election success didn't elude him for long. He won a House of Delegates race in 1971 and served 15 years in the state legislature before his election to Congress in 1986.

A Blue Dog Democrat with a sharp focus on military issues because of the nature of his district, Pickett often partnered with other House members regardless of party to protect local interests, said Evans-Cox.

Added former Pickett intern Walter Valencia: "He didn't mind crossing party lines if it benefited the district and the state.... He just took care of his people."

Pickett retired in 2001, in part because he'd become disenchanted with the growing rancor on Capital Hill, Evans-Cox said, noting that Pickett mused about a Congress that had evolved from a place where "people did things the right way" to one where officials worked "against each other for partisan purposes, not a common goal."

Pickett was more pithy when he announced in 1999 that he would not seek re-election.

"When Washington, D.C., begins to look better in your rear view mirror than it does in your windshield, you know it is time to consider making a change," he said, according to an account in The Virginian-Pilot.

Stepping away from Washington didn't entirely keep Pickett out of politics.

He mentored candidates who sought his guidance, including former state Finance Secretary Jody Wagner, who unsuccessfully sought to succeed him, and more recently, 2009 Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe.

Another post-retirement pastime was a weekly Saturday lunch with friends at Black Angus Restaurant in the Beach that featured lively discussions about everything except politics, said eatery co-owner Michael Savvides.

When the group met a few weeks ago, Savvides said, Pickett confided that "he had a wonderful life and he didn't mind if he died, believe it or not. It's ironic, but he did say that.... I guess he was ready. I guess he had enough."

Julian Walker, (804) 697-1564, julian.walker@pilotonline.com