A. L. Philpott; Powerful Virginia Legislator
A. L. Philpott, 72, the Virginia House of Delegates Speaker and a former segregationist who later became a key ally of the nation’s first elected black governor. During a 33-year political career, Philpott rose to become Virginia’s most powerful legislator. He supported racial segregation when he entered the General Assembly in 1958 but refused to go along with lawmakers who voted to close schools to block integration. In 1985, his early endorsement of L. Douglas Wilder’s campaign to become Virginia’s first black lieutenant governor was credited by many with contributing heavily to Wilder’s victory. Four years later, Wilder became governor. In Bassett, Va., on Saturday of cancer.
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