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“I have been a Congressman, a Governor, a University President but this—Chairman of the Free School Board of Trustees—is the most important service I will have rendered my native state of Virginia.”
—Colgate Whitehead Darden Jr.
Colgate Whitehead Darden Jr.
(1897 - 1981)
Colgate Darden was a prominent Virginia statesman, educator, and public servant whose legacy includes a pivotal role in reopening public education in Prince Edward County during the civil rights era.
Born in Southampton County, Virginia, Darden served in both the French Army and the U.S. Marine Corps during World War I. He pursued higher education at the University of Virginia, Columbia Law School, and Oxford University. His political career encompassed service in the Virginia House of Delegates, the U.S. House of Representatives, and as the 54th Governor of Virginia (1942–1946). Subsequently, he became the third president of the University of Virginia (1947–1959) .
In 1959, Prince Edward County closed its public schools to resist desegregation mandates following the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education. This closure left hundreds of Prince Edward County students without formal education for four years. In response, the federal government and Virginia state officials collaborated to establish the Prince Edward County Free School Association in 1963.
Governor Albertus Harrison appointed Darden as chairman of a six-member, biracial board of trustees to oversee the Free School initiative. The board included esteemed educators such as Dr. Fred B. Cole, Dr. Robert P. Daniel, Dr. Thomas Henderson, Dr. Earl H. McClenney, and Dr. F.D.G. Ribble .
Under Darden’s leadership, the Free School Association successfully reopened schools in September 1963, providing education to approximately 1,900 students. Darden regarded his role in this endeavor as the most significant service he rendered to Virginia, stating, “I have been a Congressman, a Governor, a University President but this—Chairman of the Free School Board of Trustees—is the most important service I will have rendered my native state of Virginia”.