Wilder made headlines by stalking out of a reception where the state song, "Carry Me Back to Old Virginia," was played. The ads were a sensation that the lackluster Chichester was unable to match. Wilder remembered his childhood as "gentle poverty. The administration members agreed that fiscal responsibility defined Wilder.Wilder, who seemed to be overwhelmed by the day’s experiences, said it was crucial to remember that the governor belongs to the people – all of the people. But as he began riding streetcars he noticed that black people were always seated in the rear. "I will not run for another elected office and I almost rule out serving in any governmental capacity," he said.Nevertheless, most party officials were convinced Virginia wasn't ready for an African American candidate and feared that Wilder would drag the 1985 ticket down to defeat. Wilder was born on January 17, 1931, in the poor and strictly segregated Richmond neighborhood of Church Hill, a few miles and a world away from the state capitol. Biography. Governor L. Douglas Wilder is the first elected African-American governor in United States history. When the votes were counted, however, he won by the slimmest of margins, beating Coleman by only 6,741 votes. Robert Wilder sold insurance for an African American-owned insurance company, making the Wilders middle-class for their day. Political analyst Bob Holsworth, Ph.D., who is a member of the VCU Board of Visitors and former dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences, said Virginia in the middle of the 20th century was in a period of transition as the South confronted race and segregation. "Wilder was considered a liberal in a decidedly conservative legislature, but because the 1970 redistricting gave Wilder a predominantly African American district, he faced no opposition for re-election. In the fall of 1991 Wilder began campaigning for the Democratic nomination for president.Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA).As lieutenant governor, Wilder feuded openly with Governor Gerald Baliles and former Governor Charles Robb, both fellow Democrats. I meant that then and I mean that now.”And as Wilder looked on, audience members knew they were in for a memorable day, which also included speakers who were a part of Wilder’s 1990-94 administration and two of the Republican governors who succeeded him in office.The first panel, “The Wilder Election: How it Happened, What it Meant,” was moderated by former WDBJ–TV political reporter Ellen Qualls and included former WWBT-TV political reporter Jim Babb, former Virginian-Pilot reporter and editorial writer Margaret Edds, former Richmond Times-Dispatch political reporter Michael Hardy and Wilder’s longtime adviser Paul Goldman.“The Wilder Administration: Challenges and Accomplishments” panel was moderated by Glenn Davidson, Wilder’s former press secretary and later chief of staff.