Goodloe Byron

Goodloe Byron
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland's 6th district
In office January 3, 1971 – October 11, 1978
Preceded by	John G. Beall, Jr.
Succeeded by	Beverly Byron
Personal details
Born	June 22, 1929 Williamsport, Maryland
Died	October 11, 1978 (aged 49) Hagerstown, Maryland
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Beverly Byron

Goodloe Edgar Byron (June 22, 1929 – October 11, 1978), a Democrat, was a U.S. Congressman who represented the 6th congressional district of Maryland from January 3, 1971 until his death from a heart attack in Hagerstown, Maryland on October 11, 1978. He was replaced as 6th district representative by his widow, Beverly Byron, in 1979.

Prior to serving in Congress, Byron served as a member of the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps from 1953 to 1957, honorably discharged with the rank of captain. He earned his JD from The George Washington University He later was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates (1963–1967) and the Maryland State Senate (1967–1971).

His parents, William D. Byron and Katharine Byron, both served as 6th district representative, from 1939 to 1941 and 1941 to 1943, respectively. The Byron family were communicants of Saint John's Church, Hagerstown.

Death

On October 11, 1978, Byron suffered a fatal heart attack while he was jogging with an aide alongside the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal in western Maryland.^[1] He was 49 years old.^[2] Byron was buried in the Antietam National Cemetery in Sharpsburg, Maryland.

Byron was intrigued by the now widely discredited claim of Thomas J. Bassler, MD that nonsmokers able to complete a marathon in under four hours can eat whatever they wish and never suffer a fatal heart attack.^[3]

According to nutritionist and longevity research pioneer Nathan Pritikin, Byron had run six Boston Marathons, with a best time of 3:28:40, and had not smoked for 25 years. He ignored warnings from his physician who told him that treadmill tests from 1974 to 1978 indicated his coronary arteries were gradually closing. The last treadmill test in January 1978 "indicated severe abnormality and was positive for heart disease." The physician advised Byron to stop running until further tests could be done.

Dr. Manuel G. Jimenez, who did the autopsy, said Byron had “only pinprick openings” in his coronary arteries because they were filled with cholesterol. “Congressman Byron’s coronary arteries were worse than most I’ve autopsied.” ^[4]

References

1. Associated Press, Obituary for Rep. Goodloe Byron, published on page 27 of the October 12, 1978 edition of the Toledo Blade. Retrieved on June 27, 2012.
2. Id.
3. Special Report: Are Marathons Dangerous?, Runner’s World, Amy Burfoot, December 2008; Page 5
4. Pritikin, Nathan (1983). The Pritikin Promise: 28 Days to a Longer, Healthier Life. Simon & Schuster. pp. 83–84. ISBN 978-0671494476.

External links

• Goodloe Byron at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Goodloe Byron's biographic sketch at Find A Grave