Republican Edward Lee Schrock (born April 6, 1941) served on the U.S. House of Representatives for the 2nd Congressional District of Virginia from January 2001 to January 2005. Schrock was preceded by Owen Pickett, and succeeded by Thelma Drake in this position. The 2nd Congressional District includes Virginia's Eastern Shore, Virginia Beach, and parts of Norfolk and Hampton. The district tends to be conservative housing eight military installations and Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network. Schrock was born in Middleton, Ohio. He attended Alderson-Broaddus College and the American University where he earned a Master's Degree in Public Relations. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1964 to 1988, including two tours of duty in Vietnam. Later he served as director of public affairs at the headquarters of the NATO Supreme Allied Commander in Norfolk, and retired from the Navy in 1988 with the rank of captain. After the Navy, Schrock worked as an investment broker six years with a national brokerage and investment firm. He then ran two successful campaigns for the Virginia Senate, where he represented the 7th senatorial district from 1995 to 2001. There he earned a reputation for his reliable conservative voting record. Schrock belongs to the Atlantic Shores Baptist Church, is married to Judith Adnee Crawford, and has one child, a son named Randy. During his time in Congress Schrock served on the House Armed Services Committee, House Budget Committee, House Small Business Committee, and House Reforms Committee. In 2003 Schrock was chosen to serve as the Chairman of the Regulatory Reform and Oversight Committee of the House Committee on Small Business. He founded and co-chaired the House Navy / Marine Corps Caucus and the House Special Operations Forces Caucus. Schrock's political and voting record is aligned closely with the Republican Party. Schrock favors fewer restrictions on gun ownership, strong restrictions on abortion, and increased military spending. Other issues important to Schrock are defense issues related to shipbuilding and personnel. The Christian Coalition gave him a 92% rating in their 2003 voting guide and the National Journal rated him as the second most conservative person in all of Congress for the same year. Among his other accomplishments and concerns, Schrock has also been a longtime advocate of public libraries. He was appointed by Virginia Governor George Allen to serve on the Library Board of Virginia. He served on the Library of Virginia Foundation Board; for ten years he served as President of the Friends of the Virginia Beach Public Library. He also served in a leadership role in Hampton Roads events such as Harborfest, the International Azalea Festival, and Tradefest. A cancer survivor, he served on the board of directors of Lee's Friends, a cancer victims support group. He served as a president of the Parent / Faculty Association at Cape Henry Collegiate School. From 1985 onward, Schrock has been involved with over 19 charitable and service organizations in Hampton Roads. On August 30, 2004 Schrock dropped out of his race for a third term in Congress due to allegations that he had made use of a gay telephone service to meet other men and that he was secretly gay or at least bisexual. The website Blog Active, a gay political website that frequently "outs" closeted gay and allegedly gay politicians who support anti-gay legislation, even posted voice recordings that they said was Schrock using the gay phone service to solicit sex from other men. During his time in office, Schrock opposed various gay rights issues including same-sex marriage and gays in the military, and he co-sponsored the Federal Marriage Amendment.

Note written by Mel Frizzell