Administrative Information

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Preferred Citation

Governor Lawrence Douglas Wilder, Constituent correspondence, 1991. Accession 34589, State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

Accession 34589 was transferred by Gov. Lawrence Douglas Wilder, January 14, 1994.

Processing Information

Original folder titles have been retained.

Historical Information

Lawrence Douglas Wilder was born in Richmond, Va., on January 17, 1931. He graduated from Virginia Union University in 1951 and afterwards was drafted into the Army, where he served in the Korean War from 1952-1953 and received a bronze star. He then attended the Howard University School of Law and graduated in 1959. Douglas Wilder was elected to the Virginia Senate in 1969 as the first African American member since Reconstruction and served in the Senate for five terms. In 1985, he was elected to the office of Lieutenant Governor as the first African American to be elected to statewide office in Virginia. L. Douglas Wilder won the election for Governor of Virginia in 1989 and served from January 13, 1990 to January 14, 1994. He was the first African American to be elected as Governor in United States.

The Office of Constituent Affairs was first established in 1984 to serve as a liaison between the Governor and the citizens of the Commonwealth. The Office oversees and coordinates responses to all mail sent to the Governor's Office. Constituent Affairs staff determine where and under whose signature the responses should be drafted and direct correspondence to the appropriate person in the administration. The Office also answers phone inquiries from constituents and occasionally meets with constituents to resolve problems and handle requests. William R. Browning served as Director of Constituent Affairs during the Wilder Administration.

Scope and Content

Constituent Correspondence, 1991, is housed in 60 boxes and consists of letters received by Governor Wilder from citizens, public officials, and various organizations. Correspondence in this series usually includes an accompanying Response Referral Form, and an attached copy of the response from the Governor or the appropriate Secretary, state agency, or Governor's Office staff member. The Response Referral Form includes date received, topic, to whom the letter is referred, and instructions. Constituent correspondence includes invitations, requests for assistance, and statements of concern or inquiries on a variety of issues. Constituent correspondence also includes correspondence from federal and state agencies, local government officials, Virginia General Assembly members, members of the U.S. Congress, and others, including the U.S. President, governors of other states, and ambassadors.

Constituent Correspondence, 1991, is divided into two series: Series I. Cabinet Secretaries and State Agencies and Series II. Governor's Office. Correspondence is arranged by topic and includes mail on a variety of subjects, including administration initiatives and specific legislative actions. Also includes mail from habitual writers, and mass mailings, which often consist of form letters and signed petitions. Also included is some correspondence from 1992-1993.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into the following series: