RICHMOND, Va. β Former Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder got a birthday shoutout during Gov. Abigail Spanberger's inauguration speech on Saturday.
Wilder made history in 1990 as the first African American to serve as governor of any U.S. state since Reconstruction.
Spanberger, who is Virginia's first female governor, mentioned Wilder's historic inauguration in her speech.
"Governor L. Douglas Wilder changed what so many of our fellow citizens believed was even possible," Spanberger said.
Wilder was born in 1931 in Church Hill. He attended Virginia Union and Howard universities, served in the army during the Korean War, and received a Bronze Star Medal.
Wilder, who served in the Virginia Senate from 1970 to 1986, was the first African American to hold statewide office in Virginia as the 35th Lieutenant Governor and made history again as the 66th Governor of Virginia. His legacy also includes serving as Richmond's 78th mayor by popular vote.
CBS 6 spoke with Wilder a year ago, just before his 94th birthday. He reflected on his career and touched on the importance of reaching his mid-90s.
"It means a great deal, because when I was coming up, if someone got to be 60, that was considered old," he said at the time.
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