Former Virginia State Sen. Janet Howell, who represented constituents in Fairfax and Arlington counties for more than 30 years, has died at age 82.
Howell was the state senator representing District 32 from 1992 to 2024 and was chair of the state’s Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger was one of several politicians in the commonwealth who took to social medial Sunday to share their memories of Howell, saying she was a warrior for education and a trailblazer for women in the state.
“She set a powerful example for so many of the women who have followed her in Virginia politics. My thoughts are with her loved ones at this difficult time,” Spanberger said in a post on X.
Virginia’s lieutenant governor, Ghazala Hashmi, said in an X post that Howell was a mentor to many women, including herself, and was the first woman in Virginia’s history to serve as chair of the senate’s finance committee.
U.S. senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine also shared their condolences on social media.
Before her work in Virginia’s Senate, Howell served as a public schoolteacher and a legislative assistant, according to her office bio.
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