Records of the Governor's Office, First Lady Anne Holton and Executive Mansion, 2002-2010 (bulk 2006-2009)

Access and use

Location of collection:
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Archives Reference Services
Phone: (804) 692-3888

Summary

Creator:
Virginia. Governor's Office. Executive Mansion.
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

The Governor's Office, First Lady Anne Holton and Executive Mansion records are housed in 16 boxes. This collection documents the public activities of First Lady Anne Holton and events held at the Executive Mansion from 2006 to 2010. A few of the Mansion Director's Files contain records of Mansion events during the administration of Governor Mark Warner (2002-2006).

Biographical / historical:

Anne Holton, Governor Tim Kaine's wife, has devoted her career to serving as an advocate for Virginia's families and children. Holton graduated from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs in 1980. She went on to earn her J.D. from Harvard Law School, where she met Tim Kaine and graduated in 1983.

After marrying Tim Kaine, and convincing him to become a Virginian, Anne Holton served for many years as a legal aid lawyer representing low-income families and then as a juvenile and domestic relations district court judge in the City of Richmond. Through her work on the bench, Ms. Holton came to be deeply involved in foster care and adoption, and has worked tirelessly to improve outcomes for Virginia's neglected and abused children. For that work and her service on the bench and in the legal profession, Ms. Holton has received many awards and honors including the YWCA of Richmond 2006 Outstanding Woman Award in the category of law.

As First Lady, Ms. Holton remained dedicated to improving the welfare of Virginia's children and families - and to see that all Virginia children have the opportunity to reach their God-given potential. In January of 2007 she launched her signature initiative, For Keeps: Families for all Virginia Teens. Through the initiative she focused on helping Virginia find and strengthen permanent families particularly for older children in foster care or at risk of entering foster care. For this work, she has received many awards and honors including The Annie E. Casey Foundation Families for Life Award of Distinction in May of 2008.

Holton's move into the Executive Mansion was a homecoming. Her father, Linwood Holton, served as Virginia's governor while Anne was a teenager' from 1970-1974. She and Governor Kaine have 3 children, Nat, Woody and Annella and a family dog, Gina, all of whom enjoyed their tenure in the Mansion.

-Source: Web site of First Lady Anne Holton

Virginia's Executive Mansion has been home, office and center of official entertaining for governors and their families since 1813. It was the second governor's residence constructed in the nation, and is today the oldest governor's residence still used for its original purpose.

The Executive Mansion was Virginia's third state-owned governor's residence. The first two governors under the Constitution of 1776, Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson, occupied the colonial Governor's Palace in Williamsburg. In the spring of 1780, Governor Jefferson moved with the government to the new capital in Richmond. For a short period after that relocation, Virginia's governors occupied rental properties.

During the latter part of the 18th century, a second governor's residence was built in Richmond, on almost the same spot the Mansion stands today. The building, a modest frame structure, stood for twelve gubernatorial administrations and was home to three future United States presidents - James Monroe as governor, and John Tyler, Jr. and William Henry Harrison while their fathers were governors.

n 1811, Governor John Tyler, Sr., arguing before the Legislature that the house was "intolerable for a private family," brought about the decision to build the current residence. Under James Monroe's direction and as his last act as Governor, the General Assembly directed "the building of a house for the use of the governor of the commonwealth, on the lot on which the present governor's house stands."

Almost two-hundred years later, with gratitude to Tyler and Monroe, the Mansion remains in the middle of the City. During its long history, the Executive Mansion has been home to 54 Governors and continues to serve not only as a residence to the Chief Executive of Virginia, but also as a place for official state business. There have been 2 major interior renovations (Swanson and Gilmore Administration) and one exterior renovation (Baliles administration) over the long history of the Mansion. The Mansion has seen many famous people and VIPs walk through the mansion, the first floor was almost destroyed by fire, numerous stories of the ghost have been shared over the years, and even hosted three funeral viewings. Families, the children, and their pets have come and gone, but the history that lives within the walls of the Mansion is rich and all who walk through the doors contribute to the legacy of the oldest continually occupied Governor's residence in the United States.

-Taken from Virginia's Executive Mansion Web Site

Acquisition information:
Laura Fields, Office of the Governor, Patrick Henry Building, 1111 E. Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, accession 42419, transferred and accessioned on 14 January 2010.
Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into the following series:

  • Series I. First Lady's Files;
  • Series II. Mansion Director's Files;
  • Series III. Mansion Events
Physical description:
5.43 cu. ft. (16 boxes)