L. douglas wilder biography
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Douglas Wilder
Douglas Wilder, né le à Richmond (États-Unis), est un avocat et homme politiqueaméricain. Petit-fils d'esclaves, il est notamment connu pour être le premier Afro-Américain élu gouverneur d'un État des États-Unis[N 1].
Diplômé de l'université Union de Virginie en 1951, Douglas Wilder est enrôlé dans l'armée américaine pendant la guerre de Corée où il s'illustre en dupant des soldats nord-coréens lors de la bataille de Pork Chop Hill (en). De retour à la vie civile, il travaille un temps comme chimiste au bureau du médecin légiste de Virginie avant de se réorienter professionnellement et d'ouvrir un cabinet d'avocat en 1961.
Membre du Parti démocrate, Douglas Wilder est élu au Sénat de Virginie en 1969. Constamment réélu, il y siège jusqu'en 1986, année où il prend ses fonctions de lieutenant-gouverneur (en), devenant ainsi le premier Afro-Américain de l'histoire de la Virginie à occuper un poste exécutif à l'échelle de l'État. Candidat à l'élection
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About
L. DOUGLAS WILDER was born in Richmond, Virginia, and earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Virginia Union University in 1951. He earned his law grad in 1959 from Howard University School of Law. He served in the U.S. Army in Korea 1952-1953 and was awarded the Bronze Star for heroism in ground combat. He was elected to the Virginia Senate in 1969 where he served until his election as lieutenant governor in 1985. He was elected governor in 1989, and served from 1990-1994. Wilder was the first black American to be elected a United States governor. A fiscally conservative Democrat, Wilder attracted national attention for his austere approach to Virginia’s budget problems and for advocating drug testing of college students. In 1991 Wilder sought the Democratic presidential nomination, running as a centrist, but he failed to raise sufficient funds and withdrew from the race in January 1992. Barred by state law from seeking a second consecutive term as
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Biography
The Honorable L. Douglas Wilder, who served from 1993 to 2014, is the first African American in United States history to be elected as governor of a U.S. state, serving Virginia from 1990 to 1994. He is a distinguished professor (retired) at Virginia Commonwealth University’s L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs.He is the former mayor of the City of Richmond, Virginia and a recipient of more than three-dozen honorary degrees. He also served as lieutenant governor of Virginia, as well as five terms in the Virginia State Senate, where he was the first African American to serve since Reconstruction.He established the law firm of Wilder, Gregory & Associates, one of the few minority-owned businesses in Virginia at the time, and soon became known as a top criminal attorney. He served in the U.S. Army and was awarded a Bronze Star for heroism during the Korean War. He earned a Bachelor of Science grad from Virginia Union University, and a J.D. degree