Longtime Fairfax County Rep. Gerry Connolly is one step closer to getting his name on a local post office.
Yesterday (Monday), the House of Representatives passed legislation from Rep. James Walkinshaw, Connolly’s successor to Virginia’s 11th Congressional District seat, that would rename the U.S. Postal Service’s facility at 10660 Page Avenue in Fairfax after the late congressman.
Located in the county’s judicial complex, which is contained within Fairfax City, the post office would be designated the “Congressman Gerald E. ‘Gerry’ Connolly Post Office Building” if the resolution passes the U.S. Senate and is signed by President Donald Trump.
“Naming a post office in the heart of Virginia’s 11th District is a fitting tribute to a man who spent decades as a stalwart defender of the Postal Service and America’s postal workers,” Walkinshaw said in a statement. “The broad bipartisan and bicameral support for this legislation reflects the profound impact Gerry had across Virginia, our nation, and the world.”
The post office naming resolution was one of the first pieces of legislation introduced by Walkinshaw, who was elected to Congress last September following Connolly’s May 21, 2025 death due to esophageal cancer.
A longtime resident of Mantua, where he died, Connolly served on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for 13 years before he was elected in 2008 to represent the 11th District, which encompasses most of western and central Fairfax County.
Connolly was elected to a ninth term in Congress just days before he announced that he had been diagnosed with cancer.
When presenting his resolution on the House floor, Walkinshaw said naming the Fairfax post office after his mentor “would ensure generations of Fairfax residents are reminded of what public service looks like when it’s rooted in integrity, vision, humor and love of community.”
(1/3) Gerry Connolly was a giant of public service.
He was a bulwark for postal workers, a fierce defender of federal employees, and a tireless champion for Fairfax.
— Rep. James Walkinshaw (@repwalkinshaw.bsky.social) July 13, 2026 at 5:33 PM
“We lost a giant last year, and we honor Gerry’s legacy by continuing the work he loved, by serving others, speaking the truth, defending democracy and never forgetting those who sent us here,” said Walkinshaw, who worked as Connolly’s chief of staff for over a decade before getting elected as Fairfax County’s Braddock District supervisor in 2019.
During his remarks, Walkinshaw acknowledged Connolly’s wife, Smitty, who was in the House chamber at the time.
“Gerry cared deeply about the health of the postal system and for its employees,” Smitty Connolly said in a statement announcing the bill’s passage. “He would truly be honored to have this post office named after him.”
Virginia Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine introduced a companion bill in their chamber on Dec. 2, 2025, but the Senate has yet to take any further action on the measure.
If the Senate passes the legislation, it would then be sent to Trump’s desk.
Post office screenshot via Google Maps
