2026 SPECIAL SESSION I

ENROLLED

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 2120

Celebrating the life of Michael Allen Halbert.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, June 22, 2026

WHEREAS, Michael Allen Halbert of Alexandria, a distinguished foreign service officer and highly admired historian and historical reenactor, died on June 6, 2026; and

WHEREAS, Michael Halbert grew up in Arkansas and New Jersey and came to the Commonwealth to attend the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, from which he graduated in 1983; he subsequently earned a master's degree from what is now the National Intelligence University in 2007; and

WHEREAS, Michael Halbert's 37-year career in the foreign service included postings as a foreign liaison for the United States Army, U.S. Department of Defense, and U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency; and

WHEREAS, Michael Halbert was highly admired for his character and integrity and received the Santos-Dumont Merit Medal from the Brazilian Air Force and the National Order of Merit from the French Republic for his achievements; and

WHEREAS, Michael Halbert was passionate about languages and the arts, and he was a talented genealogist, researcher, and storyteller who had a natural aptitude for bringing history to life through his first-person portrayals of historical figures from the Colonial era and the Revolutionary War at schools, civic gatherings, museums, and theater productions; and

WHEREAS, Michael Halbert played an important role in the bicentennial commemoration of the Marquis de Lafayette's farewell tour in 1824–1825, partnering with the American Friends of Lafayette as one of the program's few costumed interpreters traveling from Maine to Missouri for special events; and

WHEREAS, Michael Halbert also provided his expertise and wise insights to the Claude Moore Colonial Farm, Carlyle House, Historic Alexandria, Historic Annapolis, the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, George Washington's Mount Vernon, and the Henricus Foundation as a volunteer; and

WHEREAS, Michael Halbert will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his loving wife, Marie-Louise; his children, Philippe, Anne-Elisabeth, and Charlotte, and their families; his mother, Rosalyn; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Delegates hereby note with great sadness the loss of Michael Allen Halbert, a respected diplomat and engaging historian and historical reenactor; 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 Michael Allen Halbert as an expression of the House of Delegates' respect for his memory.