Albertis S. Harrison, Jr.

Alberti Sydney Harrison ( born January 11, 1907 in Alberta, Brunswick County, Virginia; † 23 January 1995) was an American politician and from 1962 to 1966 Governor of Virginia.

Early years and political rise

Alberti Harrison studied until 1928 at the University of Virginia law. Later, he became a lawyer for the city of Lawrenceville and then district attorney in Brunswick County. He became a member of the Democratic Party and was a 1948-1957 the Senate of Virginia. From 1958 to 1961 he was attorney general of the state.

Governor and judges

In 1961, Harrison was elected as the new governor of his state. He began his four-year term on January 13, 1962. During this time, he promoted the industrial development in Virginia. The road network of the state were renewed and expanded and promoted tourism. Harrison was also a member of several associations governor. Harrison had a racist attitude towards African- Americans and tried to defend racial segregation. After the Supreme Court had in 1954, the landmark court decision Brown v. Board of Education adopted, which prohibited racial segregation in schools, a program called massive resistance (massive Resistance) announced the governor of Virginia, Harry F. Byrd, at. The massive resistance consisted on the one hand that bobwhite schools that picked up the racial segregation did not receive government grants and other, more private schools that practiced racial segregation, should be supported. Harrison tried to act during his tenure in line with this strategy. During his reign, 1,700 black students were temporarily without access to a school. Only a decision of the Supreme Court stopped this abuse and ended de facto the massive resistance.

After the end of his term in January 1966 Harrison was a member of the Supreme Court of Virginia. He also was chairman of a commission to revise the constitution of his home state. He died in January 1995. Together with his wife Virginia Lacey Barkley Alberti Harrison had two children.