Richmond’s History Makers
Dr. William Ferguson Reid Dr. William Ferguson Reid, a surgeon, co-founded The Richmond Crusade for Voters in 1956. It grew out of The Council to Save Public Schools, which formed to fight a 1956 law that allowed cities in Virginia the option of closing public schools rather than integrating them.
Dr. William Ferguson Reid
Dr. William Ferguson Reid, a surgeon, co-founded The Richmond Crusade for Voters in 1956. It grew out of The Council to Save Public Schools, which formed to fight a 1956 law that allowed cities in Virginia the option of closing public schools rather than integrating them.
The Richmond Crusade for Voters’ goal is to “increase effective black participation in Richmond’s political process.” It helped elect the first black majority on the Richmond City Council, which picked Henry L. Marsh III as the city’s first African-American mayor in 1977.
About 12 years after the organization was formed, Reid became the first black member of the Virginia General Assembly since Reconstruction. He said the election gave whites an opportunity to be exposed to blacks who could compete with them. Reid represented Richmond and Henrico County in the House of Delegates from 1968 to 1973.
Born in 1925, Reid graduated from Armstrong High School and Virginia Union University. He earned his medical degree from Howard University. He served with the 1st Marine Division in Korea at the Bethesda Naval Hospital. Reid is now retired from the service and lives in Rockville, Md. with his wife. The Richmond Crusade for Voters’ current president is Millie Williams. Past presidents include Attorneys Sa’ad El-Amin and Robert J. Grey Jr. VCU’s James Branch Cabell Library houses the organization’s correspondence, newsletters and other materials.
