John Minchew – A Profile in Law and Philanthropy

John Minchew is running for sheriff of Fort Bend County, Texas as a Republican.

Former Florida Railroad Police Chief Ed O’Connor is running for sheriff, seeking to replace outgoing Sheriff Troy Nehls. Captain Holland Jones and Eric Fagan, two Democrats from Miami, are also running on a Democratic ticket for the position.

Early Life and Education

Minchew was born on March 3, 1932 in Dixie Union, Georgia as the youngest of five children. He spent his formative years on Mossy Farm ten miles north of Waycross on their family farm.

He enlisted in the Marine Corps after graduating high school, seeking a life of adventure. That is exactly what he found with the Marines.

He served three years in the United States Marine Corps as a helicopter pilot. After basic training, he joined HMX-1 – which flew presidents, other heads of state, Department of Defense officials and world leaders on short and long tours of duty.

Minchew returned to academia after his military service at the University of Texas at Austin and Caltech, where he earned a master’s degree in geophysics. It was during this time that his interests in radar remote sensing were piqued when he discovered interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR), an imaging technique which detects motion by measuring the phase difference between two images taken simultaneously.

Professional Career

John Minchew has a distinguished career in law and government service. As partner of Walsh Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh in Loudoun County, Virginia, he was elected to the House of Delegates for six years representing District 10 during that time.

Minchew, a lawyer by training, has extensive experience working with community organizations. He served on the Loudoun County Economic Development Commission and was an active Life Director for Northern Virginia Building Industry Association.

Minchew is an active participant on Shenandoah University’s board of trustees and serves on its Alumni Board of Directors. A graduate of Langley High School, he earned both a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Duke University as well as an MBA. Furthermore, he holds a Diploma in Theology from Virginia Theological Seminary and works as a lay eucharistic minister.

Achievements and Honors

John Minchew has been an integral member of his community for nearly two decades. Not only a formidable legal professional, he also enjoys walking and has an eye for business as well as enjoying nature. John was awarded this year’s honorary alumni award due to his appreciation of life’s finer things and its power of reciprocity; making him both worthy recipients and one of Shenandoah University’s first inductees into its halls of fame for his contributions both there and in Leesburg itself.

Personal Life

At the age of 18, John Minchew dreamt of living a life filled with adventure and purpose. Thankfully, the Marine Corps provided him with this opportunity.

He served in the Marines as a pilot with the HMX-1 squadron, an elite flight team responsible for transporting heads of state and Department of Defense officials to Camp David.

After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin, he applied his passion for science to remote sensing. His first research area was glaciers in Antarctica – a place he never expected to go.

Now, he is running for Fort Bend County Sheriff on a democratic ticket with hopes of unseating current sheriff Troy Nehls. A former railroad police officer with over 30 years of law enforcement experience, he hopes to challenge incumbent Troy Nehls for the position.

Net Worth

John Minchew is a politician and businessman with an estimated net worth of $10 million. He currently serves as Sheriff for Loudoun County, Virginia and has received numerous accolades for his service. Additionally, John has received endorsement from organizations such as the National Federation of Independent Businesses, Virginia Farm Bureau and Virginia Association of Realtors.

In 2011, he obtained a $30,000 loan from Comerica secured by his certificate of deposit (C.D.) to cover business expenses associated with two companies he owned. Later, the bank liquidated the C.D. without his knowledge and paid off $16,000 towards the balance on the loan; they then deposited any remaining funds into his account. Furthermore, his wife wired proceeds from her IRA into his account as well.