UVA Center for Politics

Center for Politics
2400 Old Ivy Road
P.O. Box 400806
Charlottesville, VA 22904
Tel: 434.243.8468
Fax: 434.243.8467

Home > Programs > Gov. Project > Holton '99 > About

About

On July 16 and 17, 1999, the University of Virginia's Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service and the Center for Governmental Studies co-sponsored the second in a series of annual conferences focusing on the living Virginia governors and the changes they have witnessed and sponsored.

Held at the Boar's Head Inn, The A. Linwood Holton Governors Conference analyzed the career of Virginia's first Republican governor of the 20th Century. Panels focused many topics, including:

Pre-Gubernatorial Career: Building the Virginia GOP
Election '69: The Republican Breakthrough
The Holton Administration in Retrospect
Holton's New South

Panelists included present and former political players such as Congressman Caldwell Butler, Delegate Richard Cranwell, Senators Hunter Andrews and Benjamin Lambert, as well as Bill Battle, Holton's 1969 gubernatorial opponent; journalists such as Margaret Edds, Margie Fisher, James Latimer, and Charley McDowell; and former administration officials, such as Staige Blackford, Alexander Gilliam, Cynthia Newman, John Ritchie, and William Robertson.

The 1999 Governors Conference was highlighted by a special presentation on the evening of July 16 in the Dome Room of Thomas Jefferson's Rotunda. The Dome Room Dinner included remarks by Center Director Larry Sabato, a welcome by Lieutenant Governor John Hager, and an introduction by former Governor Gerald Baliles. The highlight of the evening was a moving keynote address by Governor Holton, during which he reflected on his legacy and analyzed the current state of affairs in the Commonwealth.

PBS taped the event, as well as interviews with many of the panelists. They will be producing a one-hour special about the Conference to be aired later this year.