2025 SESSION
ENROLLED
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 657
Celebrating the life of David Charles Gompert.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 17, 2025
Agreed to by the Senate, February 19, 2025
WHEREAS, David Charles Gompert, a former diplomat and trusted government official who served the nation in various capacities over the course of more than 35 years, died on August 21, 2024; and
WHEREAS, David Gompert was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, and was a graduate of the United States Naval Academy (USNA) and Princeton University; and
WHEREAS, David Gompert began his government career with the U.S. Department of State and held a wide range of positions during the Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan administrations, including undersecretary of state for political affairs, deputy director of the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, special assistant to former secretary of state Henry Kissinger, and senior national security advisor; and
WHEREAS, David Gompert served as special assistant to President George H.W. Bush and was subsequently appointed as a senior advisor to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq under President George W. Bush; and
WHEREAS, David Gompert finished his government career as the principal deputy director of national intelligence under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2011, during which time he served as acting director of national intelligence for several months; and
WHEREAS, in between government postings, David Gompert also held senior executive positions in the private sector with Unisys, AT&T, and RAND Corporation, where he was selected as a Senior Fellow, served as president of RAND Europe, and cultivated various insights on national defense, terrorism, economic development, science, and technology; and
WHEREAS, David Gompert mentored and inspired students as a faculty member at the USNA and the National Defense University; he also served on the Board of Advisors for the USNA Center for Cyber Security Studies and published numerous articles on national and international cybersecurity issues; and
WHEREAS, outside of his career, David Gompert was a proud board member of the American Civil War Museum, and he supported and mentored young people through his involvement in the Bobcat Sports League; and
WHEREAS, David Gompert will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife, Cynthia; his children, Christian and Elisa, and their families; and numerous other family members, friends, and colleagues; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of David Charles Gompert; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of David Charles Gompert as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.