[1] Upon his graduation from high school Colgan enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces and was called to active duty in February 1945.

[2] Colgan's public service began in 1972 when he was elected to the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, where he served as chairman for one year.

His bipartisan leadership was well known and respected throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia; one of his greatest friends was Harry J. Parrish, a Republican delegate from Manassas.

[9] As a devout Catholic, he advocated bans on legal abortion care and voted with Republicans on abortion-related issues.

Colgan faced a number of close elections in the 1990s and early 2000s as his district trended Republican at the national level.