Darden, Colgate Whitehead, Jr. (1897-1981)

Darden was born on February 11, 1897 at the family farm known as Marle Hill in Southampton County, Virginia to Colgate Whitehead Darden, Sr. and Katharine Lawrence Pretlow.  Colgate, Sr. supported the family as a farmer and businessman while Katharine taught pupils in school.  From very early in childhood, Darden understood the value of receiving a good education.  Katharine instilled in her son the love of learning that would last his entire life.  When Darden entered public service, it thus became a priority to raise education standards for all Virginians, including African American students.  Serving in positions of leadership provided the means and resources to achieve this objective.[2]

He went to Franklin Public Schools in Franklin, Virginia before enrolling at the University of Virginia.  In 1916, with the world on the brink of catastrophe, Darden paused his academic career two years following the outbreak of war.  Since the U.S. had not yet commenced hostilities in World War I, he volunteered his services to the French army.  France praised the youthful Darden for courage during the Battle of Verdun.  He later served as a Marine Corps pilot with the American Expeditionary Forces and sustained severe injuries from a plane crash.  When the war ended, Darden finished his undergraduate degree at UVA and then earned a law degree from Columbia University.  After graduating, he accepted a Carnegie Fellowship to study international law while attending the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.[3]   

Beginning a longtime association with Norfolk, Virginia in 1924, Darden soon started his own law practice downtown at 300 East Main Street.  During this time, he lived at 518 Warren Crescent.  Colgate married Constance Simons du Pont a few years later in Wilmington, Delaware on December 3, 1927.  The couple eventually had three children: Colgate Darden III (1930-2009), Pierre Darden (1933-1959), and Irene Field (born 1938).  Darden first ventured into politics by supporting a victorious Harry F. Byrd during the 1925 gubernatorial campaign.  In 1929, he decided to run for office himself when Norfolk voters elected him to Virginia’s House of Delegates just one week after the stock market crash that sent America spiraling toward a Great Depression.  He worked in the state legislature for two years, but then in 1932 his constituents promoted him to the U.S. House of Representatives where he served four terms.[4]

Source: The Virginian-Pilot Collection (MSS 0000-187) https://cdm15987.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15987coll9/id/4329/rec/7

With political ambitions still unabated, he sought the governor’s office at a time when world war wreaked havoc in Europe once again.  The Virginia Democratic Party run by the Byrd Machine propelled Darden to an overwhelming victory over Republican Benjamin Muse and two other candidates during the gubernatorial election of 1941.  Darden came into office just weeks after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and quickly assumed his position as a wartime governor.  By creating an Office of Civilian Defense, he rallied Virginians to the cause of defending liberty abroad.  During his term, Governor Darden successfully pressured the legislature to enact several much-needed reforms that had previously gone unaddressed.  According to Darden, some of the most significant changes brought by his administration were those dealing with Virginia’s prison system.  New legislation established the Board of Corrections and Virginia Parole Board as part of an effort to bring fairer treatment to prisoners.  For the first time in state history, penal sentences could include probation and parole.  He prioritized healthcare by sending financial support from the state to mental and tuberculosis hospitals.  With Darden leading the way, Virginia bolstered workmen’s compensation, which provided some relief to Virginia employees.  As governor, Darden also fulfilled a core tenet of the Byrd machine when he moved to eliminate Virginia’s debt, which brought state spending under control.[5]

Education proved to be Governor Darden’s calling.  He focused more attention on this issue than any other.  Authorizing a study of Virginia public schools, Darden wanted to know if children across the commonwealth received a quality education.  The startling final report provided unsatisfactory answers.  It made clear that Virginia’s public schools were deficient in several areas that needed to be addressed by lawmakers.  He then planned the next steps toward improving educational standards in the state.  Governor Darden pushed necessary reforms through the legislature that tackled some of the problems.  To attract the best teachers, Virginia boosted salaries and established a pension system.  Following a strong push from Darden, legislators agreed to spend more money for school buses and classroom audiovisual equipment.  The administration also signed off on additional funds earmarked for building construction on college and university campuses.  Before his term ended, Darden called on representatives to bring Virginia into the modern age by upgrading from small rural schoolhouses many children still attended.[6]

Although Darden had a persuasive manner when dealing with lawmakers, the governor demonstrated independence and sometimes took unpopular stands that placed him at odds with his own party.  He examined each issue on its own merits and then formulated a position, even when it might result in political blowback.  One such example concerned his more moderate views on racial matters than those held by previous governors.  The Byrd machine relied on the poll tax and other voter suppression methods to prevent African Americans in Virginia from exercising their democratic rights.  Although it played a major role in his election, Darden became the first Virginia governor to publicly support ending the poll tax.  During his term, he conveyed to the General Assembly his view that African American men should be included during jury selection in criminal cases.  The governor also frequently refused to enforce segregation laws on public buses and sent more state funds to black universities, including Norfolk State.  Darden had far from a perfect record on civil rights, but his voice on these matters demonstrated a willingness to go against party and self-interest.[7]

When Governor Darden left office in 1946, he resisted calls from other Democrats to seek election to the U.S. Senate.  Following his passion instead, he sought a career in higher education that lasted more than a decade.  Before the 1946-1947 academic year got under way, the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia appointed him as chancellor.  Then UVA, his alma mater, came calling just a year later and selected him to be the third president in school history.   Occupying that post for twelve years, he brought great progress to the university and accomplished much throughout his tenure there.  The successes include spearheading several building projects on campus, toughening university admission policies, and growing the student body.  Endowment figures improved under his stewardship as well.  Darden pursued some initiatives though that proved to be unpopular among certain segments of the UVA community.  One such plan concerned his effort to make the university more democratic, which meant weakening fraternities and supporting an increase in the number of students admitted from public high schools on campus.  In 1955, President Darden established a business administration program that now bears his name.  It is known as the Darden School of Business.  UVA expanded its reach across the state as well.  Two satellite universities, Clinch Valley College of the University of Virginia (now University of Virginia at Wise) and George Mason University, began educating students by the 1950s.  President Darden loved serving the university and only resigned after suffering a personal loss when his twenty-six-year-old son, Pierre, died during a November 1959 sailing excursion.[8] 

Coinciding with his presidency, a schism emerged between Darden and the Byrd Machine over school integration.  After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional in 1954, Senator Harry Byrd and his party organization fought back against what they considered federal overreach.  Their well-coordinated strategy came to be known as massive resistance, which resulted in public schools closing across the state so black and white children would be prevented from learning together in the same classrooms.  Thus, Byrd’s malicious campaign harmed young people of all races.  As a leading educator, Darden opposed the entire concept of closing public schools and spoke out forcefully on the issue.  Withdrawing state support for integrated schools went against his core principles.  He believed education to be essential for personal growth in any democratic society and warned of the dire consequences throughout Virginia should this plan prevail.  Former Governor Darden even used his political clout to end a lockout in Prince Edward County and got those children back in school.  However, he still thought Virginia municipalities should have a say in developing their own integration policies that could pass muster with the federal courts.  Actively promoting this concept of “local control” became his new mission.[9] 

Following retirement from the University of Virginia, Darden and Constance returned to Norfolk and lived at 7438 Flicker Point.  In his final years, Darden frequently weighed in on local issues, such as when he argued against the establishment of Eastern Virginia Medical School.  He and his wife became philanthropists backing various causes, including UVA and Norfolk music.  Known even by political opponents to have had an independent streak and be a staunch supporter of education, he valued his role as elder statesman in later life.  He remained a Democrat to the very end.  Constance outlived her husband of fifty-three years.  Colgate Darden, Jr., then eighty-four, died suddenly from a heart attack on June 9, 1981.  He is buried alongside his wife at Jericho Farm Cemetery in Courtland, Southampton County, Virginia.[10]              

Sources:

1.      Paul Bernstein, “Former Governor Darden, 84, Dies,” The Virginian-Pilot

 (Norfolk, Virginia), June 10, 1981, p. A1-A2;

 “Colgate W. Darden Jr. (1947-1959),” The University of Virginia, accessed October 7, 2024, Colgate W. Darden Jr. (1947-1959) | The University of   Virginia;

Ronald L. Heinemann, “Colgate W. Darden (1897-1981),” Encyclopedia Virginia, accessed October 7, 2024, Colgate W. Darden (1897–1981) -  Encyclopedia Virginia;

   “Colgate Darden,” Wikipedia, accessed October 7, 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colgate_Darden.

2.       Heinemann, Encyclopedia Virginia;

   Bernstein, p. A1-A2.

      The University of Virginia;

   Wikipedia.

3.      Bernstein, p. A2;

Heinemann, Encyclopedia Virginia;

Wikipedia;

The University of Virginia.

4.      “Colgate Whitehead Darden Jr.,” Findagrave, accessed October 7, 2024,

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8473662/colgate-whitehead-darden;

Bernstein, p. A1-A2;

Heinemann, Encyclopedia Virginia;

Wikipedia;

The University of Virginia.

5.      Bernstein, p. A2;

Heinemann, Encyclopedia Virginia;

“Darden Elected Governor by Big Majority,” The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia),

November 5, 1941, p. 1.

6.      Heinemann, Encyclopedia Virginia;

Bernstein, p. A2.

7.      Heinemann, Encyclopedia Virginia;

Bernstein, p. A2;

Guy Friddell, “A Man of Causes and Perspective,” The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), June 10, 1981, p. A2;

“Darden Recommends Abolition of Poll Tax, School Consolidations,”  The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), January 10, 1946, p. 7.

8.      Heinemann, Encyclopedia Virginia;

Bernstein, p. A2;

Findagrave;

The University of Virginia;

 “Colgate W. Darden, Jr.” Special Collections Research Center Knowledgebase,

accessed October 7, 2024, https://scrc-kb.libraries.wm.edu/colgate-w-darden-jr.

9.      Heinemann, Encyclopedia Virginia;

Bernstein, p. A2;

Friddell, p. A2.

10.  Heinemann, Encyclopedia Virginia;

Bernstein, p. A1-A2.

Full Name: Colgate Whitehead Darden, Jr.

Also Known as: Colgate Darden, Governor Darden

Birth Date: February 11, 1897

Birthplace: Marle Hill (Farm in Southampton County, Virginia)

Parents: Colgate Whitehead Darden, Sr. (1867-1945) and Katharine Lawrence Pretlow (1870-1936)

Ethnicity: American

Race: Caucasian

Spouse: Constance Simons du Pont (1904-2002)

Children: Colgate Whithead Darden, III (1930-2009) who married Jane Elizabeth Johnston, Pierre Darden, and Irene Darden Field

Marriage Date: December 3, 1947

Marriage Place: Wilmington, Delaware

Death Date: June 9, 1981

Death Place: Norfolk, Virginia

Burial Date: June 12, 1981

Burial Place: Jericho Farm Cemetery (Courtland, Southampton County, Virginia)

Major Keywords/Search Terms: Governor Colgate Whitehead Darden, Jr.|

Colgate Whitehead Darden, Sr.| Katharine Lawrence Pretlow| Marle Hill|

Constance Simons du Pont| Norfolk, Virginia| Southampton County, Virginia|

Wilmington, Delaware| Jericho Farm Cemetery| Courtland, Virginia|

Colgate Whitehead Darden, III| Jane Elizabeth Johnston| Pierre Darden| Irene Darden Field|

Byrd Machine| “Education Governor”| Democratic Party| World War II| United Kingdom|

Franklin, Virginia| University of Virginia| World War I| Columbia University| International Law| University of Oxford| Marine Corps Pilot| Attorney| 

Warren Crescent| East Main Street| Election of 1932| Harry F. Byrd| Virginia House of Delegates| U.S. House of Representatives| Great Depression|     Election of 1925| Virginia Election of 1929| Benjamin Muse| Pearl Harbor| Gubernatorial Election of 1941| Virginia| Office of Civilian Defense| 

Mental and Tuberculosis Hospitals| Board of Corrections| Virginia Parole Board| Prisoners| State Debt| Education| Rural Schoolhouses| General Assembly|

   Pension System| Teacher Salaries| African Americans| Civil Rights| Poll Tax| Voter Suppression| College of William & Mary| U.S. Senate| Chancellor| 

   President| Charlottesville, Virginia| Darden School of Business| Flicker Point| Eastern Virginia Medical School| Black Colleges and Universities| 

   Norfolk State University| Segregation Laws| Clinch Valley College of the University of Virginia| University of Virginia at Wise| George Mason University| 

   Massive Resistance| Prince Edward County, Virginia| Integration| France| Battle of Verdun| Carnegie Fellowship|       

Sources:

1)  Primary Sources:

1.     Books and Pamphlets:

▪ Barbee, Henry G.  Community Builders of Norfolk Virginia.  Norfolk, Virginia: Community Builders, 1942, p. 7.      

▪ Darden Jr., Colgate W.  The Reminiscences of the Honorable Colgate W. Darden, Jr.  Annapolis, Maryland: U.S. Naval Institute, 1984.

▪ Friddell, Guy.  Colgate Darden: Conversations with Guy Friddell. 

  Charlottesville, Virginia: University Press of Virginia, 1978.

City Directories:

▪ 1925 Norfolk City Directory (Norfolk, Virginia), p. 286.

▪ 1928 Norfolk City Directory (Norfolk, Virginia), p. 260.

▪ 1933 Norfolk City Directory (Norfolk, Virginia), p. 205.

▪ 1936 Norfolk City Directory (Norfolk, Virginia), p. 216.

▪ 1937 Norfolk City Directory (Norfolk, Virginia), p. 165.

▪ 1941 Norfolk City Directory (Norfolk, Virginia), p. 174.

2.     Documents/Collections:

Census Records:

▪ United States Census Bureau.  1910 US Federal Census-

Southampton County, Virginia.  Roll: T624­_1649.  Page 8b.  Enumeration District: 0120.  Family History Microfilm: 1375662.

1910 United States Federal Census - AncestryLibrary.com.

▪ United States Census Bureau: 1920 US Federal Census

Southampton County, Virginia.  Roll: T625_1915.  Page 5b.  Enumeration District: 213. 

1920 United States Federal Census - AncestryLibrary.com.

▪ United States Census Bureau.  1930 US Federal Census-

Norfolk, Virginia (Independent City).  Page 4b.  Enumeration District: 0097.  Family History Microfilm: 2342206.

1930 United States Federal Census - AncestryLibrary.com.

▪ United States Census Bureau.  1940 US Federal Census-

Norfolk, Virginia (Independent City).  Roll: m-t0627-04314.  Page 2b.  Enumeration District: 114-125.

1940 United States Federal Census - AncestryLibrary.com.

▪ United States Census Bureau.  1950 Federal Census-Albemarle County, Virginia.  Roll: 2669.  Page 74.  Enumeration District: 2-3B.

1950 United States Federal Census - AncestryLibrary.com.

Offsite Records:

▪ Colgate Darden Correspondence.  Unprocessed Material-Box BW 47, Folder 1/1, Identifier: ViU-2022-0053.  

Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia.

▪ Special Collections and University Archives Collection Guides: Box 1, Folder 18.   

Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University.   

▪ Virginia Governor, Executive Papers (1942-1946: Darden), State Government Records Collection, Library of Virginia, 

Richmond, Virginia.

▪ Virginia War History Commission Collection, Record Group 66.  The Library of Virginia.

Other Records:

▪ Delaware, U.S., Marriage Records, 1750-1954.  Bureau of Vital Statistics, Hall of Records, Dover, Delaware.  

Marriage Place: Wilmington, Delaware.  Marriage Year: 1927. Delaware, U.S., Marriage Records, 1750-1954 - AncestryLibrary.com.

▪ U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970.  Louisville, Kentucky: 

National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. 

U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970 - AncestryLibrary.com.

▪ U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942.  Registration State: Virginia.  Registration Locality: 

Richmond, Virginia (Independent City).

U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 - AncestryLibrary.com.

▪ Virginia Department of Health.  Richmond, Virginia.  Virginia Deaths, 1912-2014.  Certificate Number: 1981018205.  Death Year: 1981. 

Virginia, U.S., Death Records, 1912-2014 - AncestryLibrary.com.

3.     Maps/Plats/Surveys:

▪ Sanborn Map Company.  Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps: Norfolk, Independent City, Virginia.  New York: Sanborn Publishing Co., 1928, 

Vol. 1, Sheet 70. ProQuest Digital Sanborn Maps ~ Map of Norfolk 1928 vol. 1, Sheet 70.

4.     Newspapers/Magazines/Journals (Selected):

1940

▪ “Darden Will Seek Return to Congress: Second District Representative Makes Formal Announcement.”  The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia),

January 10, 1940, p. 16.

▪ “Voting Army Here May Set New Record.” Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch (Norfolk, Virginia), November 5, 1940, p. 1-2.

▪ “Darden Asks for Office of Governor: 4th Entry: Representative to Quit Congress before Campaign.”  Richmond Times-Dispatch (Richmond, Virginia), December 22, 1940.

1941

▪ Davis, Virginia Waller.  “There’s a Schoolboy Prophecy Darden Wants to Fulfill.”  Richmond Times-Dispatch (Richmond, Virginia), 

February 2, 1941, p. 49.

▪ Southall, William B.  “Byrd Openly Endorses Darden and Tuck, Asks Ax for Miss Perkins.”  The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), July 5, 1941, p. 1-2.

▪ Lankford, G. Wright.  “Darden Overwhelming Choice for Governorship.”  The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), August 6, 1941, p. 1 and 9.

▪ Davis, Virginia Waller.  “That ‘V’ in Darden Victory Stand for Versatile New First Lady.”  The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), 

August 10, 1941, p. 1 and 4.

▪ Smith, Harty L.  “Darden Becomes Head of State University.”  The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), October 2, 1947, p. 1 and 12.

▪ “Darden Elected Governor by Big Majority.”  The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), November 5, 1941, p. 1-2.

▪ “Governor-Elect Darden.”  The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), November 5, 1941, p. 6.

▪ Lankford, G. Wright.  “Defeat Proved Spur to Victory for Governor Colgate Darden.”  The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), November 9, 1941, pt. 4 p. 6.

1942

▪ Taylor, Frank E.  “Darden Proposal Brings Fear of Upheaval in National Fraternity and Sorority Circles.”  The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), 

December 13, 1942, p. 6.

1946

▪ “Darden Recommends Abolition of Poll Tax, School Consolidations.”  The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), January 10, 1946, p. 1 and 7.

▪ “Darden Views with Pride Strides in Education during Last 4 Years, but Regards Advances Only a Start on What Should and Will be Done.”  The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), January 13, 1946, pt. 1 p. 2.

▪ “Colgate Darden is Named First Citizen: War Governor Selected for Service Award.”  Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch (Norfolk, Virginia), December 19, 1946, 

p. 1 and 25.

1947

▪ “Darden Dons W&M Robes.”  Tidewater Trail, February 1947, Vol. 8, No. 29, p. 3.

▪ “Colgate Darden Becomes Chancellor of William-Mary in Colorful Rites.”  The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), February 11, 1947, p. 1-2.

▪ “Darden Slated for President of University.”  The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), March 13, 1947, p. 22.

▪ “Darden Lauded by Newspapers.”  The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), April 1, 1947, p. 2.

1962

▪ “Darden.”  Virginia Record, January 1962, p. 32-33.

1966

▪ “Colgate W. Darden, Jr.”  Virginia Record, January 1966, p. 31.

1967

▪ “Virginians.”  The Commonwealth, May 1967, p. 16.

1979

▪ Langston, Janet.  “Man Grew with State.”  The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), January 18, 1979, Compass p. 1-2.

1947

▪ “Darden Dons W&M Robes.”  Tidewater Trail, February 1947, Vol. 8, No. 29, p. 3.

1981

▪ Bernstein, Paul.  “Former Governor Darden, 84, Dies.”  The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), June 10, 1981, p. A1-A2.

▪ Friddell, Guy.  “A Man of Causes and Perspective.”  The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), June 10, 1981, p. A2.

1982

▪ Friddell, Guy.  “Darden’s Star is Still Shining.”  The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), February 3, 1982, p. C1.

5.     Photographs/Images:

▪ Folders: “1940s I, 1940s III, and 1940s IV.”  Colgate Darden.  Sargeant Memorial Collection Main Photograph Collection, MSS 0000-MPC,

Sargeant Memorial Collection, Norfolk Public Library, Norfolk, Virginia.

             ▪ The Virginian-Pilot Photograph Collection, MSS 0000-187. https://cdm15987.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/search/searchterm/%22darden%22.