located at George Mason Campus in Manassas, VA Political career Colgan's public service began in 1972 when he was elected to the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, where he served as chairman for one year. In 1975, Colgan was elected to the Virginia State Senate with 61% of the vote, representing Prince William County, and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park. As a result of his seniority, from 2005 to 2011 Prince William County, Manassas, and Manassas Park received more transportation funds than any other jurisdiction in the commonwealth. As a moderate Democrat, Colgan was well known for working on both sides of the aisle. His bipartisan leadership was well known and respected throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia; one of his greatest friends was Harry J. Parrish, a Republican delegate from Manassas. As a devout Catholic, he advocated bans on legal abortion care and voted with Republicans on abortion-related issues. On January 11, 2012, after being sworn in for the 10th consecutive term of the Virginia State Senate, Senator Colgan became the longest-serving senator in Virginia history. He was also the last remaining World War II veteran to serve in the chamber. Colgan faced a number of close elections in the 1990s and early 2000s as his district trended Republican at the national level. However, it became somewhat more secure with Northern Virginia's overall Democratic trend in the mid-2000s. In June 2014, Colgan announced that he would retire rather than seek re-election. He left office at the age of 89, and was succeeded by fellow Democrat Jeremy McPike. Personal life Charles and his wife Agnes (deceased 2001) had eight children, twenty-four grandchildren, and multiple great-grandchildren. Colgan died in hospice care, in Aldie, Virginia, on January 3, 2017, from a vascular ailment. He was 90. Political accomplishments General: Patron SB1316 Charter for the City of Manassas Park, 1975. Transportation: VA 234 bypass, bypassing the city of Manassas and extending to the town Dumfries. Widening Interstate 66 to four lanes from Manassas to Gainesville. Gainesville interchange VA 29/I-66, $435 million. Widening Interstate 95 to four lanes. Additional rail cars for VRE. Education: In 2011 during statewide cuts, Colgan prevented cuts to K-12 education spending by $730 million. Several buildings on Manassas and Woodbridge NVCC campuses. Worked to Establish the George Mason Prince William Campus. Hylton Center for Performing Arts at GMU Prince William Campus. Passed legislation to create the GMU/NIH