Douglas Wilder: The first elected Black governor

Former Virginia Governor and Mayor-elect of Richmond (at the time), L. Douglas Wilder, flashes victory signs during a victory party in Richmond, Va., Tuesday Nov. 2, 2004, in Richmond, Va. Wilder, who over 35 years ago became the only black American ever elected governor, easily won election Tuesday as Richmond's first popularly elected mayor since the 1940s. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) (STEVE HELBER, AP2004)

Virginia is proud to be the home of the first elected Black governor in the United States, L. Douglas Wilder.

Before entering into politics, Wilder was a student and a veteran, and soon took an interest in Law. In 1985, he was elected as the lieutenant governor of Virginia, and became the first Black man elected to statewide office in the Commonwealth. He made history again in 1989, when he was elected to be Virginia’s first Black governor, and the first Black governor elected in the entire country.

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Following his term as governor, he served a term as the Mayor of Richmond from 2005 to 2009. Now, he serves as a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, and he even has his own school at the college.