Albertis S. Harrison, Jr.

Albertis Sydney Harrison Jr. (January 11, 1907 – January 23, 1995) was the 59th Governor of Virginia from 1962–1966. Before serving as governor, he was the Brunswick County, Virginia Commonwealth's Attorney, and Attorney General. His administration focused on industrial development, technical education, improving highways, and promoting tourism. After being governor, he sat on the Virginia Supreme Court and chaired the Commission on Constitutional Revision that drafted the current Constitution of Virginia. A product of the Byrd Machine, which dominated Virginia politics for much of the twentieth century, Harrison endorsed its preferred policies of fiscal conservatism and racial segregation. He did not show the independence of his predecessor, Governor J. Lindsay Almond, who ultimately broke with the Byrd Machine's policy of "massive resistance" to school integration by closing the public schools rather than let any black students attend formerly all-white schools. The courthouse in Harrison's hometown of Lawrenceville, Va., is named in his honor. His house, nearby on Church Street, is still standing.