Obituary of Mills E. Godwin Jr. MILLS E. GODWIN JR. Former Gov. Mills Edwin Godwin Jr., 84, of Cedar Point, passed away on Jan. 30, 1999. He was a lifelong member of Oakland Christian Church and served as moderator and teacher of the men's Bible class for many years. He served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1948-1952; the state Senate from 1952-1962; as lieutenant governor from 1962-1966; and as governor of Virginia from 1966-1970 and from 1974-1978. He was the only person twice elected by the people as Virginia's governor, and the only person ever elected as governor of any state from both of our two major political parties. He was cited as ''Virginia's Education Governor'' by the Virginia Education Association. He was a member of O.D.K., Phi Delta Phi, Sigma Phi Epsilon, the Raven Society, Rotary, Ruritan (past national president), Masons 33rd Degree, Scottish Rite and Khedive Temple, and other fraternal and civic organizations. He was the recipient of numerous local, state and national awards and citations, including honorary doctorates from eight colleges and universities, and the New Market Medal, Virginia Military Institute's highest honor. He had served as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, practiced law in Suffolk, and was formerly a member of the Board of Directors of Norfolk and Western Railway, Union Camp Corp., Nabisco Brands Inc., American Electric Power Co. Inc., Dan River Inc., Sovran Financial Corp. and other private and public groups, including the Camp Foundation, Beazley Foundation and Historic St. Luke's Church Foundation. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Katherine Beale Godwin; a sister, Leah G. Keith; three nephews, Dr. William J. Jones Jr., Dr. Mills Godwin Jones and Dr. Webb Darden Jones; and two nieces, Kaye Keith Tice and Betty Keith Williams, and their families. A memorial service will be conducted at 1 p.m. Tuesday in Oakland Christian Church by the Rev. Mark Burns and the Rev. David L. Wilson, with burial in Cedar Hill Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 7 to 8:30 p.m. today at the R.W. Baker & Co. Funeral Home. Memorial donations may be made to the Becky Godwin Memorial Scholarship Fund of Oakland Christian Church, P.O. Box 2008, Suffolk, Va. 23432, or to a charity of your choice. Edition: FINAL Page: B6 Copyright (c) 1999 The Virginian-Pilot TWO-TIME GOVERNOR DIES MILLS E. GODWIN JR. SERVED AS BRIDGE BETWEEN ERAS : Newspaper Obituary and Death Notice Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA) - Monday, February 1, 1999 Deceased Name: TWO-TIME GOVERNOR DIES MILLS E. GODWIN JR. SERVED AS BRIDGE BETWEEN ERAS Mills Edwin Godwin Jr., who during two terms as governor modernized Virginia's government and oversaw sweeping changes in education and public works, has died. He was 84. Mr. Godwin served first as a Democrat and then as a Republican and was the last governor to come from the Byrd political organization headed by the late U.S. Sen. Harry F. Byrd Sr. But in pushing through the first statewide sales tax and Virginia's first bond issue, Mr. Godwin disposed of the Byrd organization's famous "pay-as-you-go" philosophy and ushered in a new era of state spending - including establishing the community college system - on behalf of its residents. Mr. Godwin died Saturday about 9:30 p.m. in Newport News, where he had earlier been released from Riverside Hospital, said Dr. Webb Jones, a nephew and doctor there who helped care for the former governor. Mr. Godwin lived in Suffolk. Dr. James L. Bugg Jr., an Old Dominion University history professor, once wrote that Mr. Godwin's "most singular achievement lay in freeing his tradition-bound state from the dead hand of the past." Mr. Godwin "made all the difference in the world to this state's development, its culture and the aspirations of its people," former Gov. Gerald L. Baliles said at a July symposium on Mr. Godwin's career. "Whether one is talking about economic development, education, transportation or just simply the quality of our lives, Mills E. Godwin was the bridge between an honest, static past and an open and promising future." Dr. Larry J. Sabato, a University of Virginia government professor who once worked for Mr. Godwin's bitter political opponent, Henry E. Howell Jr., said history will judge him as one of Virginia's greatest governors. "You almost have to look at Virginia history before Mills Godwin and after Mills Godwin," he said. Mr. Godwin's career was also marked by a personal journey through a tortured era in Virginia history. Once one of the Senate's most vocal supporters of Massive Resistance to public schools integration, Mr. Godwin became an executive who championed public schools, threatened the Ku Klux Klan and named the first black - James E. Sheffield of Richmond - to a circuit court judgeship. Mr. Godwin never apologized for backing segregation but said it went on too long. In his first term, 1966-1970, Mr. Godwin the Democrat used revenue from the sales tax to make advancements in education, mental health, economic development and transportation. He started the community college system and doubled state aid to higher education and public education, extending state funding to kindergarten and summer schools. Mr. Godwin secured passage of the first statewide bond issue, abandoning the Byrd organization's position against public debt. The $81 million bond issue paid for new buildings for higher education and mental health. His second term, 1974 to 1978, was not considered as successful for Mr. Godwin - now a Republican. He fought an oil shortage, contamination from the pesticide Kepone in the James River, an economic downturn and a recalcitrant legislature. Still, Mr. Godwin won legislative and public approval of a second, $125 million bond issue to pay for improvements in education, mental health, parks and ports. Perhaps his most significant contribution as governor was appointment of a constitutional revision commission that recommended modernization of the 1902-vintage state constitution, which helped end the state's pay-as-you-go fiscal policy. Mr. Godwin said that changing Virginia's financial ways was necessary to "prevent state progress from coming to a grinding halt." He seized upon a never-used constitutional provision that allowed issuance of $85 million of general obligation bonds, subject to legislative and voter approval. The eventual result was an expanded, more flexible borrowing policy that pegged state debt to state income. The governor used that debt flexibility to sponsor huge increases in funds for public education. Mr. Godwin's leadership initiated and developed the state's community college system, improved education from kindergarten to graduate school and increased pay for teachers. "Knowledge is the great equalizer of our time. With it come all the fruits of life," he said in his first inaugural address. Mr. Godwin governed with a commanding presence, but with an oratorical style that, as Baliles put it, "could make a phone book compelling." But his knowledge of state government - built through years as a legislator and a term as lieutenant governor - was detailed and he used that to his advantage, said Otis A. Brown, one of his appointees. Mr. Godwin also knew the arts of persuasion and mild threats to get his way, recalled some associates. To secure votes for the bill setting up the community college system, Mr. Godwin wasn't adverse to promising stubborn legislators a college for their area - even when it meant giving up a campus in his hometown of Suffolk. "He would say no and make you think it was the nicest thing he could have done for you," said former Del. L. Ray Ashworth, now a Richmond lobbyist. The sales tax was first proposed by Mr. Godwin's predecessor, Gov. Albertis S. Harrison Jr., and some local governments were already imposing the levies. Taking a big chance, Mr. Godwin asked for a 2 percent statewide tax in 1966 and another 1 percent in 1968. He knew the additional 1 percent would be needed at mid-term if he were to carry out his ambitious program. He also knew a battle for a second tax increase in two years would be extremely difficult. As it turned out, the escalation clause lost by one vote in the House of Delegates when first brought up in 1966. It was revived in the Virginia Senate and then passed easily in the House - after substantial arm-twisting by the governor. "Enactment of the sales tax was the heart of the Godwin program," the late Carter Lowance, Mr. Godwin's chief of staff, once wrote. "It enabled him to carry through on every campaign pledge involving appropriations." State industrial development, already booming, got added impetus under Mr. Godwin. He led delegations to New York and Chicago to recruit domestic and foreign trade and promoted tourism into a major state industry. Virginia's first trade mission abroad came in 1967, and two years later the opening of a trade office in Brussels, Belgium, made the Old Dominion one of the first states with such an outpost. During Mr. Godwin's terms, almost $20 million was invested in port facilities. The state added 480 miles of interstate highways and 600 miles of arterial roads. When Mr. Godwin first took office in 1966, Virginia's per capita income was 88 percent of the national average, recalled J. Frank Alspaugh, who was Mr. Godwin's industrial development director. When Mr. Godwin left office in 1978, at the end of his second term, per capita income was 99 percent of the national average. While broadening Virginia's reputation overseas, Mr. Godwin also took steps that addressed the concerns of the state's diverse population. During his first administration, Mr. Godwin, the former Massive Resistance advocate, indirectly championed the cause of blacks when he lashed out at the Ku Klux Klan. He offered rewards for information leading to arrests and convictions for cross burning. When the North Carolina Klan grand dragon protested, Mr. Godwin told him he would not hesitate to call out all 800 state troopers and the National Guard to break the back of the Klan in the commonwealth. During his tenure, more than 35 blacks were assigned to important state boards and commissions. Mr. Godwin's appointment of Sheffield to the bench in 1974 made him the first Virginia governor to appoint a black judge to a major court of record. Born at Chuckatuck in Nansemond County, now Suffolk, Mr. Godwin grew up on a 500-acre truck farm. Politically indoctrinated at age 11, when Harry F. Byrd Sr. ran for governor, Mr. Godwin later said "my philosophy is in tune with Byrd-type conservatism, but I don't think the status quo can or ought to be maintained." He attended the Norfolk Division of the College of William and Mary for one year and then transferred to the college's Williamsburg campus, where he earned his bachelor's degree and played baseball. In 1938, he earned his law degree from the University of Virginia. During a visit home in 1937, while he was a law student, he met Katherine Beale, another Nansemond County native beginning her first day as an elementary schoolteacher in Chuckatuck. They were married Oct. 26, 1940. They built a home in Chuckatuck, and he commuted to work in Suffolk, where he opened the law partnership, Godwin and Glascock. He earned the First Citizen Award of Suffolk and Nansemond County (now part of Suffolk) several times. At the onset of World War II, Mr. Godwin applied for a Navy commission and an FBI appointment on the same day. He wound up with the FBI job, which took him to St. Louis, Norfolk and Richmond. He later received a commendation from then-FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover for bringing in a most-wanted man, a robber who had violated parole. Mr. Godwin began his political career by upsetting a Byrd-supported incumbent for the House of Delegates from his district in 1948. Although his uncle, state Sen. Charles Moses of Appomattox, was a leader of the Byrd organization, Mr. Godwin was given poor committee assignments because he defeated a Byrd supporter. His problems were compounded a year later when he supported a relative, former Richmond Mayor Horace Edwards, over the Byrd choice, John S. Battle, for governor. Four years later, he moved on to the state Senate, running unopposed for a vacated seat. Mr. Godwin became established as an orator and operator with a flair for when to fight and when to conciliate. He also won a coveted seat on the Senate Finance Committee, which increased both his influence and his knowledge of state government. Mr. Godwin won the lieutenant governor's nomination in 1961 in a hard-fought primary against Armistead Boothe of Alexandria. Mr. Godwin called Boothe a tool of union bosses and "the great apostle of integration." The liberal Boothe called Godwin the "architect of Massive Resistance." Mr. Godwin never apologized for his role in promoting Massive Resistance. Virginians needed time "to adjust to what inevitably had to happen," he once said about the era. When he became lieutenant governor in 1962 under the Harrison administration, Mr. Godwin discarded his Massive Resistance stance and championed public education. He began to moderate his views, stressing improvements to state services. His support for then-President Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1964 presidential race won him undivided support of state Democrats. He signaled his support by climbing aboard "The Lady Bird Special," a train that carried first lady Lady Bird Johnson through the South. LBJ was the last Democratic presidential candidate to carry Virginia. Running as the Democratic nominee in 1965, Mr. Godwin had not only the support of the Byrd organization, but also of organized labor and the NAACP. He went on to defeat GOP candidate Linwood Holton and segregationist William J. Story of Chesapeake, capturing 47 percent of the vote in the three-way race. Holton four years later succeeded Mr. Godwin as governor. In his inaugural address on a cold January day, Mr. Godwin made it clear he did not plan business as usual. "Virginia is of the South, but the South is also of the nation," he said. "The Commonwealth we love will always be Virginia, but Virginia, too, is of the nation, and it is by the nation's standards that we are now called upon to judge her." The first term was marked by remarkable legislative cooperation, but personal sadness came in August 1968. The Godwins' only child, Becky, 14, died after being struck by lightning during a vacation at an Atlantic Ocean beach near Camp Pendleton near Virginia Beach. In 1970, Mr. Godwin left the regular Democratic fold to serve as state campaign chairman of U.S. Sen. Harry F. Byrd Jr.'s successful Senate race as an independent. Two years later, Mr. Godwin headed a general advisory committee of state Democrats, Republicans and independents working under the umbrella of the Virginia Committee for the Re-Election of the President, Richard M. Nixon. In 1973, he renounced the Democratic Party, saying it had become too liberal and radical. A year earlier, liberal party members had denied the former Democratic governor a seat at the state convention. Mr. Godwin reluctantly announced he would accept the GOP nomination for governor in 1973, after being persuaded by the financial and business establishment that he alone could defeat the liberal populist, Henry E. Howell Jr. of Norfolk. He declared himself a Republican after accepting the GOP gubernatorial nomination. The transition wasn't easy. Republicans who had fought to defeat the Byrd organization found themselves having to work together with members of that organization. Mr. Godwin even referred to Republicans as "you people." Mr. Godwin went on to come from behind and defeat Howell by just 15,000 votes in a bitter contest marked by name-calling. He was a 33rd-degree Mason, a past president of Ruritan National and a trustee of Elon and Virginia Wesleyan colleges. He had served as a director of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, Nabisco Inc., the Norfolk & Western Railway Co., Union Camp Corp., Sovran Corp., American Electric Power Co. and Dan River Inc. Mr. Godwin was a lifelong member of Oakland Christian Church, where he had taught a men's Bible class for more than 20 years. He was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, Phi Delta Phi and the Raven Society. He was a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award of the Virginia State Chamber of Commerce and the Distinguished Citizen's Medal of the Virginia National Guard. In addition to his wife of 58 years, Mr. Godwin is survived by a sister, Leah G. Keith. A memorial service will be held Tuesday at 1 p.m. at Oakland Christian Church in Suffolk, with burial in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Suffolk. PRIVATE LIFE, PUBLIC SERVICE Mills Edwin Godwin Jr. Born: Nov. 19, 1914, in Chuckatuck. Died: Jan. 30, 1999, in Newport News. Education: College of William and Mary, 1934; University of Virginia Law School, 1938. Family: Married Katherine Beale, 1940. Adopted daughter, Becky, 14, who was killed by lightning in 1968. Early career: Practiced law in Suffolk; served as an FBI agent in Richmond, Norfolk and St. Louis. Political career: House of Delegates, 1948-1952; state Senate, 1952-1962; lieutenant governor, 1962-1966; governor, 1966-1970 and 1974-1978. Inaugural quote, 1966: "Virginia is of the South, but the South is also of the nation. The Commonwealth we love will always be Virginia, but Virginia, too, is of the nation and it is by the nation's standards that we are now called upon to judge her." Two-term governor Democrat, 1966-1970: Mills E. Godwin Jr. started the community college system, imposed the first state sales tax and floated the first bond issue to end Virginia's "pay-as-you-go" policy. Republican, 1974-1978: He established the Department of Corrections, restored the death penalty and secured a $125 million bond issue to pay for higher education, mental health, parks and ports. PHOTOEdition: City Page: A-1 Copyright (c) 1999 Richmond Newspapers, Inc. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ––– Narrative Summary of the Obituary ––– Mills E. Godwin Jr., former Virginia governor, died 30 Jan 1999 at 84, serving two terms and advancing education, infrastructure, and state financial modernization. A memorial service for Mills E. Godwin Jr. was held 2 Feb 1999 at Oakland Christian Church in Suffolk, officiated by Rev. Mark Burns and Rev. David L. Wilson, with burial in Cedar Hill Cemetery. ––– Transcript ––– MILLS E. GODWIN JR. Former Gov. Mills Edwin Godwin Jr., 84, of Cedar Point, passed away on 30 Jan 1999. He was a lifelong member of Oakland Christian Church and served as moderator and teacher of the men's Bible class for many years. He served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1948-1952; the state Senate from 1952-1962; as lieutenant governor from 1962-1966; and as governor of Virginia from 1966-1970 and from 1974-1978. He was the only person twice elected by the people as Virginia's governor, and the only person ever elected as governor of any state from both of our two major political parties. He was cited as "Virginia's Education Governor" by the Virginia Education Association. He was a member of O.D.K., Phi Delta Phi, Sigma Phi Epsilon, the Raven Society, Rotary, Ruritan (past national president), Masons 33rd Degree, Scottish Rite and Khedive Temple, and other fraternal and civic organizations. He was the recipient of numerous local, state and national awards and citations, including honorary doctorates from eight colleges and universities, and the New Market Medal, Virginia Military Institute's highest honor. He had served as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, practiced law in Suffolk, and was formerly a member of the Board of Directors of Norfolk and Western Railway, Union Camp Corp., Nabisco Brands Inc., American Electric Power Co. Inc., Dan River Inc., Sovran Financial Corp. and other private and public groups, including the Camp Foundation, Beazley Foundation and Historic St. Luke's Church Foundation. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Katherine Beale Godwin; a sister, Leah G. Keith; three nephews, Dr. William J. Jones Jr., Dr. Mills Godwin Jones and Dr. Webb Darden Jones; and two nieces, Kaye Keith Tice and Betty Keith Williams, and their families. A memorial service will be conducted at 1 p.m. Tuesday in Oakland Christian Church by the Rev. Mark Burns and the Rev. David L. Wilson, with burial in Cedar Hill Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 7 to 8:30 p.m. today at the R.W. Baker & Co. Funeral Home. Memorial donations may be made to the Becky Godwin Memorial Scholarship Fund of Oakland Christian Church, P.O. Box 2008, Suffolk, Va. 23432, or to a charity of your choice. Edition: FINAL Page: B6 Copyright (c) 1999 The Virginian-Pilot ––– Vital Statistics ––– |-------------------------------------------------------------| | Name | Mills E. Godwin Jr. | | Age | 84 | | Birth | 19 Nov 1914; Chuckatuck, Nansemond County, Virginia | | Death | 30 Jan 1999; Newport News, Virginia | |-------------------------------------------------------------| ––– Table of Relationships ––– |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | Name | Relationship | Residence | |--------------------------|--------------|-----------------------| | Mills E. Godwin Jr. | Decedent | Cedar Point, Virginia | | Katherine Beale Godwin | Spouse | Cedar Point, Virginia | | Leah G. Keith | Sister | Unknown | | Dr. William J. Jones Jr. | Nephew | Unknown | | Dr. Mills Godwin Jones | Nephew | Unknown | | Dr. Webb Darden Jones | Nephew | Unknown | | Kaye Keith Tice | Niece | Unknown | | Betty Keith Williams | Niece | Unknown | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| ––– Publication Details ––– |--------------------------------| | Field | Value | |----------|---------------------| | Location | Virginia | | Name | The Virginian-Pilot | | Date | 1 Feb 1999 | | Edition | FINAL | | Section | B | | Page | B6 | |--------------------------------| ––– Other Relevant Information ––– • Served in the Virginia House of Delegates (1948-1952) • Served in the Virginia State Senate (1952-1962) • Served as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia (1962-1966) • Served as Governor of Virginia (1966-1970, 1974-1978) • Lifelong member of Oakland Christian Church • Moderator and teacher of men's Bible class • Member of O.D.K., Phi Delta Phi, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Raven Society, Rotary, Ruritan (past national president), Masons 33rd Degree, Scottish Rite, Khedive Temple • Recipient of honorary doctorates from eight colleges and universities • Recipient of New Market Medal, Virginia Military Institute's highest honor • Served as a special agent with the FBI • Practiced law in Suffolk, Virginia • Director of Norfolk and Western Railway, Union Camp Corp., Nabisco Brands Inc., American Electric Power Co. Inc., Dan River Inc., Sovran Financial Corp. • Trustee of Elon College and Virginia Wesleyan College • Spouse's birth name was Katherine Beale [Contributed by Bruce Saunders, bs4403@verizon.net] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may have contributed to the creation of this text. Please verify critical information, as AI-generated content can include errors.] [This file is https://go-stp.com/BruceObituaries/ShowText.html?Godwin, Mills E Jr.txt]