Wilder, Lawrence Douglas, 1931-

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Lawrence Douglas Wilder (born January 17, 1931) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 66th Governor of Virginia from 1990 to 1994. He was the first African-American to serve as governor of a U.S. state since the Reconstruction era, and the first elected African-American governor.

Born in Richmond, Virginia, Wilder graduated from Virginia Union University and served in the United States Army during the Korean War. He established a legal practice in Richmond after graduating from the Howard University School of Law. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilder won election to the Virginia Senate in 1969. He remained in that chamber until 1986, when he took office as the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, becoming the first African-American to hold statewide office in Virginia. In the 1989 Virginia gubernatorial election, Wilder narrowly defeated Republican Marshall Coleman.

Wilder left the gubernatorial office in 1994, as the Virginia constitution prohibited governors from seeking re-election. He briefly sought the 1992 Democratic presidential nomination, but withdrew from the race before the first primaries. He also briefly ran as an independent in the 1994 Virginia Senate election before dropping out of the race. Wilder returned to elective office in 2005, when he became the first directly-elected Mayor of Richmond. After leaving office in 2009, he worked as an adjunct professor and founded the United States National Slavery Museum.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Anderson, Richard N. Richard N. Anderson photographs [manuscript], 1937-1972. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Stuart, Alice Jackson, 1913-2001. Papers of Alice Jackson Stuart [manuscript], 1930-2001. University of Virginia. Library
creatorOf Alderman, Edwin Anderson, 1861-1931. Commencement addresses at the University of Virginia, 1911-2006. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn James H. Latimer Papers, 1864-2000 Library of Virginia
referencedIn Records of the Office of Speechwriting (Clinton Administration), 1993 - 2001. David Kusnet's Files, 1993 - 1994 William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
referencedIn Records of the Office of the Public Liaison (Clinton Administration), 1993 - 2001. Alexis Herman's Files , ca. 1993 - ca. 1996 William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
referencedIn Records of the Domestic Policy Council (Clinton Administration), ca. 1992 - 1/20/2001. Jose Cerda's Files, 1995 - 1999 William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
referencedIn Records of the Office of the Chief of Staff (Clinton Administration), 1993 - 2001. Tom Shea's Files , 1993 - 1994 William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
creatorOf Shatz, Frank. Frank and Jaroslava Shatz Papers. William & Mary Libraries
creatorOf Southern Elections Fund. Papers, 1965-1975 of the Fund and of the chairman of the Board of Trustees, Julian Bond [manuscript]. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Guide to the Daily Worker and Daily World Photographs Collection, 1920-2001 Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
creatorOf Virginia. Governor (1986-1990 : Baliles). Papers, 1986-1990. Library of Virginia
referencedIn Records of the First Lady's Office (Clinton Administration), 1993 - 2001. Christine Macy's Files, 1998 - 1999 William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
referencedIn Guide to the Daily Worker and Daily World Photographs Collection, 1920-2001 Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
referencedIn Records of U.S. Air Force Commands, Activities, and Organizations, 1900 - 2003. News and Information Releases, 1/5/1971 - 12/21/1971 National Archives at College Park
referencedIn Josephine Clement Papers, 1937-1998 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf The HistoryMakers Video Oral History with The Honorable L. Douglas Wilder The HistoryMakers
Relation Name
associatedWith Anderson, Richard N. person
associatedWith Baliles, Gerald L. person
associatedWith Clement, Josephine. person
associatedWith Communist Party of the United States of America. corporateBody
alumnusOrAlumnaOf Howard University. School of law corporateBody
associatedWith Latimer, James Howe, 1913-2000. person
associatedWith Mayor Of Richmond, Va. corporateBody
associatedWith Shatz, Frank. person
associatedWith Southern Elections Fund. corporateBody
associatedWith Stuart, Alice Jackson, 1913-2001. person
memberOf United States. Army corporateBody
memberOf Virginia. General Assembly. Senate corporateBody
associatedWith Virginia. Governor (1986-1990 : Baliles). corporateBody
associatedWith Virginia. Governor (1990-1994 : Wilder) corporateBody
associatedWith Virginia. Governor's Office corporateBody
alumnusOrAlumnaOf Virginia Union University (Richmond, Va.) corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
District of Columbia DC US
Richmond VA US
Subject
Occupation
Governors
Lawyers
Lieutenant governors
Mayors
Professors (teacher)
State Senator
Activity

Person

Birth 1931-01-17

Male

Americans

English

Information

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