Wilder, Lawrence Douglas

January 17, 1931

Politician and attorney L. Douglas Wilder was born into a large, poor family in Richmond, Virginia. His grandparents had been slaves. Wilder and his six siblings grew up in a tight-knit family that had a strong work ethic. In 1947 Wilder graduated from high school and enrolled as a chemistry major at Virginia Union University, a historically black college in Richmond. After graduating, Wilder was drafted into the army and served during the Korean War (1950–53). He received a Bronze Star Medal for bravery. After returning home, Wilder worked as a chemist in the state medical examiner's office. In 1956 he enrolled in Howard University Law School in Washington, D.C. Two years later Wilder married Eunice Montgomery; they subsequently had three children.

Upon graduation from law school, Wilder returned to Richmond to practice law. His law practice brought him fame and financial prosperity. While sometimes serving low-income clients free of charge, Wilder also represented wealthy and powerful clients and in the process became a self-made millionaire. His professional success inspired him to run for the state senate in 1969.

Wilder's victory made him the first African-American state senator in Virginia since Reconstruction (1865–77). Wilder successfully promoted legislation that prohibited racially discriminatory housing and employment practices, and he helped to create a state holiday to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968). He chaired the senate's powerful Privileges and Elections Committee, which oversaw state appointments and voting legislation. As a result, he was able to increase the hiring of African Americans to various positions in state government. In a 1985 newspaper poll, Wilder was rated as one of the five most influential members of the Virginia senate. That same year Wilder ran for the statewide office of lieutenant governor. Since African Americans constituted only 18 percent of Virginia's population, Wilder, running as a political moderate, conducted an extensive and shrewd campaign at the grassroots level to win the support of white voters. Wilder won the lieutenant governorship in November 1985. His ability to garner the support of both African American and white voters helped him to win election as chair of the National Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association.

In the 1989 Virginia gubernatorial election, which was decided by less than 2 percentage points, Wilder became the first African American elected governor of a state since Reconstruction. As governor he balanced the state's budget, created a surplus state fund during an economic recession, and increased the number of African Americans working in the state government. The Financial World magazine ranked Virginia as the nation's best-managed state two consecutive years during his term. Wilder also obtained legislative approval for gun-control laws, barred state agencies from investing in companies doing business with South Africa, and promoted foreign trade between Virginia and various countries, especially those of Africa.

In 1992 he made an unsuccessful bid to become president. He completed his gubernatorial tenure in January 1994, because the Virginia Constitution prohibits governors from seeking a second consecutive term. In an attempt to unseat United States Senator Charles Robb (1939–) from the United States Senate, Wilder entered the 1994 Virginia senatorial race. After Robb was renominated by the Virginia Democratic Party, Wilder ran as a political independent. Wilder withdrew from the race shortly before the election and endorsed Robb. He campaigned energetically for Robb among African Americans. The votes of African Americans were seen as providing Robb his small margin of victory.

After the election, Wilder began hosting a radio talk show, teaching courses at Virginia Commonwealth University, and speaking on a national lecture circuit. He spearheaded the effort to build the National Slavery Museum in Fredericksburg, Virginia. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Wilder was still active in politics. In 2002, Virginia governor Mark Warner appointed Wilder to lead the Governor's Commission on Efficiency and Effectiveness. Wilder began cochairing in 2003 a drive to have Richmond's mayor elected by its citizens. The change-in-government proposal won approval by city voters and by the Virginia state legislature in 2004. In 2004 Wilder was elected mayor of Richmond, Virginia.

See also Politics in the United States

Bibliography

Baker, Donald P. Wilder: Hold Fast to Dreams. Cabin John, Md.: Seven Locks Press, 1989.

Edds, Margaret. Claiming the Dream: The Victorious Campaign of Douglas Wilder of Virginia. Chapel Hill, N.C.: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 1990.

Jones, Charles E. "The Election of L. Douglas Wilder: The First Black Lieutenant Governor of Virginia." The Western Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 15, No. 4, 1991.

Yancey, Dwayne. When Hell Froze Over: The Untold Story of Doug Wilder: A Black Politician's Rise to Power in the South. Dallas, Tex.: Taylor Publishing Co., 1988.

manley elliott banks ii (1996)
Updated by author 2005