This weekend, Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell will be inaugurated as Virginia’s 71st non-colonial governor, which practice began when Patrick Henry took the oath on July 5, 1776 following Virginia signing onto the Declaration of Independence. In looking back at the names of our Virginia governors, you’re struck by the strength of character, patriotism and perseverance most of them possess. Names such as Thomas Jefferson, Edmund Randolph, James Monroe, John Tyler, Mills Godwin, Doug Wilder – all jump from the list as Virginians who faced adversity and whose strong personalities carried Virginia and America through times of trial and healing.
When you look at the governors you also look back and remember the great story of this commonwealth from other personalities who also participated in it, such as: Captains Christopher Newport and John Smith of Jamestown, Pocahontas, Nathaniel Bacon, John Murray the Earl of Dunmore – Virginia’s last colonial governor, George Washington, George Mason, Daniel Morgan, Henry “Lighthorse Harry” Lee, Richard Henry Lee, John Marshall, William Clark, Meriwether Lewis, Stephen Austin, Sam Houston, Cyrus McCormick, Robert E. Lee, Thomas Jackson, Booker T. Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, Arthur Ashe, and John Warner, just to name a few.
And by remembering them, you also recall the things that made them worth remembering, both good and bad: exploration, agriculture, fishing, philosophy, economics, liberty, science, music, philanthropy, justice, invention, education, manufacturing and revolution.
And then you also recall the places of our vibrant history: Arlington, Manassas, Fredericksburg, Yorktown, Richmond, Norfolk, Williamsburg, Jamestown, Charlottesville, Martinsville, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Chesapeake Bay, etc.
So, as we get ready to inaugurate another Virginia governor, and start a new chapter in Virginia’s history – on this Lee-Jackson-King Weekend – I choose to remember the entirety of Virginia’s heritage and thank God that our Commonwealth remains strong and a beacon to others; a leader in this Union of States.
On this weekend, we should all be proud to be Virginians.
