Friday, February 3, 2012

In Virginia, A Pioneer Many Times Over

Can you make a difference with a law degree?

L. Douglas Wilder became the first African American to be elected to the Virginia State Senate since Reconstruction. He later became the first African American to be elected to statewide office when he was elected to the position of Lieutenant Governor. He later was the first African American to be elected Governor of any state.



During his tenure as governor, Wilder worked on crime and gun control initiatives. He also worked to fund Virginia's transportation initiatives, effectively lobbying Congress to reallocate highway monies to those states with the greatest needs.[3] Much residential and office development had taken place in Northern Virginia without the state's receiving sufficient federal money for infrastructure improvements to keep up. He also succeeded in passing state bond issues to support improving transportation. In May 1990 Wilder ordered state agencies and universities to divest themselves of any investments in South Africa because of its then policy of apartheid, making Virginia the first Southern state to take such action.He served as Mayor of the City of Richmond from 2005 to 2009.

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