Background
Byron, Goodloe Edgar was born on June 22, 1929 in Williamsport, Maryland, United States. Son of William D. and Katharine (Edgar) Byron.
United States representative politician
Byron, Goodloe Edgar was born on June 22, 1929 in Williamsport, Maryland, United States. Son of William D. and Katharine (Edgar) Byron.
Bachelor of Arts, University Virginia, 1951. Juris Doctor, George Washington University, 1953.
He was replaced as 6th district representative by his widow, Beverly Byron, in 1979. He earned his Juris Doctor from The George Washington University He later was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates (1963–1967) and the Maryland State Senate (1967–1971). The Byron family were communicants of Saint John"s Church, Hagerstown.
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.
He was 49 years old. Byron was buried in the Antietam National Cemetery in Sharpsburg, Maryland. Byron was intrigued by the now widely discredited claim of Thomas J. Bassler, Doctor of Medicine that nonsmokers able to complete a marathon in under four hours can eat whatever they wish and never suffer a fatal heart attack.
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.
Doctor 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.”.
Member Maryland. History Trust, 1963-1978, Appalachian Trail National Advisory Council, 1969-1978. Served from First lieutenant to captain United States Army, 1955-1958. Member Frederick History Society (president 1962), Frederick County Bar Association.
Mason (Shriner), Elk, Eagle, Red Manitoba, Optimist.
Club: Lewistown Ruritan.
Married Beverly Barton Butcher, December 20, 1952. Children: Goodloe Edgar, Barton Kimball, Mary McComas.