Mills Godwin
Mills Edwin Godwin Jr. (November 19, 1914 – January 30, 1999) was an American politician who was the 60th and 62nd governor of Virginia for two non-consecutive terms, from 1966 to 1970 and from 1974 to 1978.He was the last Virginia governor elected as a part of the Byrd Machine, the conservative Democratic establishment that dominated the state's politics for over three decades.In the state senate, Godwin was one of the leaders of the segregationist policy of "massive resistance", which aimed to prevent the implementation of federal court decisions under Brown v. Board of Education requiring that black students be admitted to white schools.Despite the third-party challenge, Godwin defeated Republican Linwood Holton (who would succeed him as governor in 1970) by a 48%-36% margin, with Story winning 13 percent of the vote.(American Nazi Party leader George Lincoln Rockwell, running as an independent, won 1.02 percent of the vote.)In December 1975, Governor Godwin ordered the James River and its tributaries closed to fishing from Richmond to the Chesapeake Bay.Kepone is a chemical pesticide that was produced by Allied Signal Company in Hopewell, Virginia and caused a nationwide pollution controversy.In 1976, Governor Godwin supported the bid of President Gerald R. Ford Jr., for the Republican presidential nomination, against challenger Ronald Reagan.Godwin was a leader of the "massive resistance" movement, which used state laws to close schools rather than comply with federal orders to open them to black students.
Governor of VirginiaLieutenantLinwood HoltonJohn N. DaltonFred G. PollardAlbertis HarrisonLieutenant Governor of VirginiaAllie E. S. StephensVirginia SenateWilliam V. RawlingsVirginia House of DelegatesNansemondSuffolkWillis E. CohoonChuckatuck, VirginiaNewport News, VirginiaRepublicanDemocraticKatherine Thomas BealeOld Dominion UniversityUniversity of Virginia60th and 62nd governorVirginiaDemocratByrd MachinebecomeChuckatuckNansemond CountySuffolk, VirginiaSenate of Virginialieutenant governorsegregationistmassive resistanceBrown v. Board of EducationHarry F. ByrdLyndon B. JohnsonCivil Rights Actprimary electionConservative Party of VirginiaAFL–CIOAmerican Nazi PartyGeorge Lincoln RockwellHarry F. Byrd Jr.Democrats for NixonRichard NixonGeorge McGovernHenry HowellpopulistliberalTerry McAuliffeJames RiverkeponeHopewell, VirginiaGerald R. Ford Jr.Ronald Reagan1976 Republican National ConventionRichard D. ObenshainCollege of William & MaryLibrary of VirginiaHollandVirginia BeachlightningHampton RoadspneumoniaGodwin–Knight HouseNational Register of Historic PlacesMills E. Godwin High SchoolHenricoPrince William CountyManassas, VirginiaVirginia Wesleyan UniversityNorfolk State UniversityNorthern Virginia Community College, AnnandaleJames Madison UniversityNational Park ServiceFind a GraveWilliam C. BattleAlbertis S. Harrison Jr.A. Linwood Holton Jr.Lieutenant governors of VirginiaMcComasJacksonMontagueS. PricePolsleyCowperWithersThomasWalkerMasseyEcholsWillardEllysonBuchananJ. PriceCollinsStephensPollardReynoldsHowellDaltonWilderBollingNorthamFairfaxEarle-SearsGovernors of VirginiaVirginia Governor's CouncilColony of VirginiaVirginia CompanyWingfieldRatcliffeScrivenerT. West (De La Warr)YeardleyArgallF. WestHarveyJ. WestBerkeleyJeffreysBennettDiggesMathewsColepeperChicheley