Above: L. Douglas Wilder shares a laugh with attorney Jeffrey Breit, who is Chief of Staff to Virginia House Speaker Don Scott. Wilder in 2024 being honored in January 2024. Virginia’s 66th Governor has been an active force in Virginia politics for decades.
WILDER TO BE AWARDED. The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation will Virginia’s 66th Governor L. Douglas Wilder at the annual Phoenix Awards Dinner on Saturday, September 19, 2026. The gala is the culminating event of the 55th Annual Legislative Conference (ALC55) in Washington, D.C. The historic 66th Governor of Virginia has been nominated to be honored by the CBCF by Congressman Bobby Scott several times over the years.
CBC Chairwoman Yvette Clarke confirmed to Black Virginia News that Wilder will be honored by the CBC Foundation on Saturday at their annual gala. Chairwoman Clarke spoke with Black Virginia News after the House’s last votes on the evening of Sept. 16. The U.S. House will return to session on November 9, after Election Day.
The recognition for Wilder adds to a string of tributes in recent years, including a 2024 “National Ovation” gala in Washington that drew four Virginia governors, four HBCU presidents, and members of Congress to salute his more than seventy years of public service, and a lifetime achievement honor from the Urban League of Hampton Roads at its MLK Awards Breakfast.
At 95, Wilder remains an active living link to a pivotal chapter of American history. The CBCF’s recognition underscores his enduring stature not just in Virginia but nationally, as the man who broke one of the most consequential barriers in U.S. electoral politics.
Lawrence Douglas Wilder was born January 17, 1931, in Richmond, Virginia, the grandson of enslaved people, and rose to become the first African American elected governor of a U.S. state. He earned his undergraduate degree from Virginia Union University, served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, where he earned a Bronze Star for valor at the Battle of Pork Chop Hill, and went on to earn his law degree from Howard University School of Law. He built a private legal practice in Richmond before entering politics.
In 1989, Wilder made history by winning election as Governor of Virginia, becoming the first African American to be elected governor in the U.S and leading the Commonwealth of Virginia from 1990 to 1994. As governor, he was known for fiscal conservatism, balancing the state budget without raising taxes during a national recession, while also championing civil rights, judicial diversity, and expanded access to education.
