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Albertus S. Harrison Jr.
(1907- 1995)
Albertus S. Harrison Jr., born in Brunswick County in 1907, emerged from the legal and political traditions of Southside Virginia and the conservative Byrd Organization. After studying law at the University of Virginia, Harrison returned home to practice law and serve as Commonwealth’s Attorney. In 1947, he was elected to the Virginia Senate and became a loyal operative within the Byrd political machine. As Attorney General in 1957, he took an active role in defending Virginia’s program of Massive Resistance, which sought to block federally mandated school desegregation through school closings and state-supported tuition grants for white-only private education.
When Harrison became Governor in 1962, the political and legal foundation of Massive Resistance had largely collapsed. Federal courts had ruled key elements of the state’s resistance unconstitutional, and continued defiance risked both legal sanctions and economic consequences. While Harrison had previously supported the state’s segregationist policies, as Governor he moved to stabilize the state by accepting the authority of federal court decisions. He publicly acknowledged the need to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings and began working to ensure that Virginia’s public institutions followed the law.
Rather than pursue further confrontation, Harrison reframed the state’s position by shifting the responsibility for school desegregation to local school boards. This approach allowed integration to proceed in a more controlled and less politically volatile manner. Harrison’s administration quietly withdrew state-level obstacles to compliance, allowing localities to develop and implement desegregation plans under federal oversight. He also distanced the executive branch from efforts to expand private, segregated academies by not actively promoting or funding tuition grants beyond what was already in place.
Throughout his term, Harrison managed the state’s transition away from open resistance without resorting to the inflammatory language or crisis-driven tactics seen elsewhere in the South. By emphasizing legal order, local control, and administrative cooperation with the courts, he repositioned Virginia on a path of reluctant but orderly desegregation.