Brent,

You know I've always felt that Oliver W. Hill was the greatest Virginian
of the 20th century. His whole career of civil rights advocacy, in law
and politics, running from the 1930s to the 1990s is a great record. He
was 2nd in the law class to his better known classmate, Thurgood
Marshall; led the school equalization campaign; served in WWII; elected
to the Richmond City Council in 1948; handled the Prince Edward County
School case; stood up in the face of Massive Resistance at a time when
all the forces of white Virginia were arrayed against him. For his
courage, for his choice of staying to fight in Virginia when the path of
least resistance said go to a northern city, for what he stood for and
what he accomplished in helping free Virginia from the hold of the
racial caste system, Hill deserves all the honors and thanks a grateful
commonwealth could bestow. So, that's my pick.

Jim Hershman

Brent Tarter wrote:

>Now that the whole of the 20th century is history, let me propound a
>question for discussion on Va-Hist:
>
>Who was the greatest or most important Virginian of the 20th century?
>
>Greatness and imporance are not the same (Hitler, because of what he did
>and its consequences, might have been the most important person of the
>20th century, but he wasn't the greatest), so please give your reasoning
>for our considerations and discussions.
>
>Let's hold questions about great and/or important Virginians of other
>centuries for the ensuing weeks.
>
>Brent Tarter
>The Library of Virginia
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