Representative Gerald E. "Gerry" Connolly of Virginia was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 30, 1950. He graduated from The Venard High School in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, in 1967, earned a B.A. from Maryknoll College in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, in 1971, and received an M.P.A. from Harvard University in 1979. Before entering Congress, Connolly was a business executive and nonprofit organization director. He served on the Fairfax County, Virginia, Board of Supervisors from 1995 to 2003, including as chairman from 2004 to 2008. Elected as a Democrat, he represented Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives from January 3, 2009, until his death on May 21, 2025, serving in nine consecutive Congresses.