{{short description|American lawyer}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = John Whitbeck | office = Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia | predecessor = Pat Mullins | successor = Jack Wilson | term_end = July 2018 | term_start = January 2015 | party = Republican Party | office1 = Chairman of Virginia's 10th District Republican Committee | term_end1 = 2015 | term_start1 = 2013 | alma_mater = {{Unbulleted list|Occidental College|GMU School of Law}} | website = {{URL|https://www.wblaws.com/}} }}
'''John Carroll Leon Whitbeck Jr.''' is an American attorney and Republican Party official from Loudoun County, Virginia.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/all-opinions-are-local/wp/2017/02/06/can-whitbecks-commandment-save-the-virginia-gop/|title=Can Whitbeck's commandment save the Virginia GOP?|last=Leahy|first=Norman|date=February 6, 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=January 10, 2019}}</ref> Whitbeck was the chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia from 2015 to 2018.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/virginia-gop-elects-john-whitbeck-as-new-chairman/2015/01/24/676441ac-a349-11e4-903f-9f2faf7cd9fe_story.html|title=Virginia GOP elects John Whitbeck as new chairman|last=Portnoy|first=Jenna|date=January 24, 2015|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=January 10, 2019}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/john-whitbeck-virginia-gop-chairman-steps-down-today-2018-06-30/|title=Virginia GOP chairman John Whitbeck announces resignation|last=Watson|first=Kathryn|date=June 30, 2018|website=CBS News|language=en-US|access-date=January 10, 2019}}</ref>
== Early life == Whitbeck is originally from California. He attended Occidental College where he played football as a center<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-11-20-mn-5262-story.html|title=March Toward Multiethnic Goal Remakes Occidental|last=Wallace|first=Amy|date=November 20, 1995|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=January 10, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}}</ref> and earned a degree in politics. He obtained his J.D. degree from the George Mason University School of Law.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.politifact.com/personalities/john-whitbeck/|title=John Whitbeck's file|website=PolitiFact|language=en|access-date=January 10, 2019}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/virginias-new-gop-chairman-hopes-to-unite-a-divided-state-party/2015/03/02/bfa96b10-bee9-11e4-b274-e5209a3bc9a9_story.html|title=Virginia's new GOP chairman hopes to unite a divided state party|last=Schwartzman|first=Paul|date=March 2, 2015|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=January 10, 2019}}</ref>
== Career == Whitbeck is the managing partner of the law firm WhitbeckBennett,<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|date=April 18, 2020|title=John Whitbeck launches law firm WhitbeckBennett|url=https://loudounnow.com/2020/04/18/whitbeck-launches-new-law-firm/|access-date=April 18, 2020|website=LoudounNow|language=en}}</ref> a family law practice based in Leesburg, Virginia.<ref name=":2" /> He was an adjunct professor at George Mason Law School and also previously served as a substitute judge in District Court for five years.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /> Whitbeck unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates in 2011 elections.<ref name=":4" />
In 2013, he was the chairman of the Republican committee for the 10th congressional district<ref name=":5">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/whitbeck-chosen-as-republican-nominee-in-race-to-replace-herring/2013/12/17/c10fb1d4-6734-11e3-8b5b-a77187b716a3_story.html|title=John Whitbeck named Republican nominee in possible race to replace Herring in Va. Senate|last=Gibson|first=Caitlin|date=December 17, 2013|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=January 10, 2019}}</ref> when he was nominated by his party to run in the 2014 State Senate special elections for the 33rd district.<ref name=":5" /> He lost the election to Jennifer Wexton.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wtop.com/news/2014/01/wexton-wins-special-election-for-herrings-senate-seat/|title=Wexton wins special election for Herring's Senate seat|last=Smith|first=Max|date=January 21, 2014|website=WTOP|language=en-US|access-date=January 10, 2019}}</ref> In January 2015, he was elected chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia to succeed Pat Mullins.<ref name=":0" /> Following the primary elections for the 2018 Senate election in Virginia, Whitbeck announced his resignation from the chairmanship of the Republican Party of Virginia.<ref name=":1" />
In January 2019, Whitbeck announced that he would seek the office of Loudoun County Chair.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Baratko |first1=Trevor |title=Whitbeck announces bid for Loudoun County chairman |url=https://www.loudountimes.com/news/whitbeck-announces-bid-for-loudoun-county-chairman/article_4c99c154-19a5-11e9-9cc8-9f5107ae1cb0.html |access-date=October 15, 2019 |agency=Loudoun Times Mirror |date=January 1, 2019}}</ref> Whitbeck lost the election for Loudoun Chair in November to Phyllis Randall.<ref>{{cite news | last1=Olivo | first1=Antonio |title=Loudoun elections: Democrat Randall wins second term as county appears to move left |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/loudoun-elections-democrat-randall-wins-second-term-as-county-turns-bluer/2019/11/05/7ef08730-fcb4-11e9-ac8c-8eced29ca6ef_story.html |access-date=December 5, 2019 | agency=Washington Post |date=November 5, 2019}}</ref>
== Electoral history == {{Election box begin no change|title=2011 Virginia House of Delegates, 10th District Republican Primary}} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Randy Minchew|votes=1193|percentage=40.50}} {{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=John Whitbeck|votes=1106|percentage=37.54}}{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Cara Michelle Townsend|votes=647|percentage=21.96}}
{{Election box total no change|votes=2946|percentage=100.00}} {{Election box end}}{{Election box begin no change|title=2014 Virginia Senate, 33rd District Special Election}} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Jennifer Wexton|votes=11431|percentage=52.71}} {{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=John Whitbeck|votes=8133|percentage=37.51}}{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Independent Party (United States)|candidate=Joe T. May|votes=2117|percentage=09.76}} {{Election box write-in with party link no change||votes=4|percentage=00.02}} {{Election box total no change|votes=21685|percentage=100.00}} {{Election box end}}{{Election box begin no change|title=2019 Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, Chair At-Large General Election}} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Phyllis Randall (Incumbent)|votes=63230|percentage=56.68}} {{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=John Whitbeck|votes=43673|percentage=39.14}}{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Independent Party (United States)|candidate=Robert Joseph Ohneiser|votes=4494|percentage=04.03}} {{Election box write-in with party link no change||votes=172|percentage=00.15}} {{Election box total no change|votes=111569|percentage=100.00}} {{Election box end}}
== References == {{Reflist|2}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitbeck, John}} Category:Living people Category:Occidental College alumni Category:Antonin Scalia Law School alumni Category:Republican Party of Virginia chairs Category:21st-century American lawyers Category:Virginia Republicans Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:People from Leesburg, Virginia Category:People from Pleasanton, California