Richard E. Whitted

Richard E. Whitted, son of the famous Hillsborough blacksmith and WWII veteran Clyde Whitted, became an important figure in Hillsborough’s history when he was elected to the Orange County Board of Commissioners in 1972. He was not only the first Black man elected to the board, but he was also the youngest commissioner. When he was elected, the impact of Jim Crow still lingered: North Carolina schools were not fully integrated until the 1971-1972 school year. Four years after being elected, he became the first Black Chair of the Orange County Board of Commissioners. He served for a total of 12 years until 1984. He died on October 8, 1987, at the age of 43. Whitted is buried in Hillsborough Town Cemetery on East Corbin Street.

Richard E. Whitted's impact was celebrated throughout the county. His service on the Orange County Board of Commissioners proved that anyone could be elected and improve their community. Very little information is currently available about Whitted as he spent much of his free time with his family and was very humble about his achievements.

Shortly after Whitted's death in 1987, the formerly all-white Hillsborough Township School was renamed in his memory as the Richard E. Whitted Human Services building. Today, a scholarship for college-bound graduates of the Orange County and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools is also named after him. In the years since his time as a commissioner, five more Black commissioners have held office in Orange County.