Finding aid rewritten and expanded in 2021-2022 coinciding with reprocessing.
There are no restrictions.
The collection is open to research.
Henry Valentine papers, 1970-1980, Collection # M 248, Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.
Donated by Henry Valentine in 1987.
Henry L. Valentine II (1927-) is a white financial advisor and politician who served on the Richmond, Virginia City Council (1970-1978) and held the office of Vice Mayor of Richmond (1977-1978). His service as a public representative was punctuated by a significant shift in the demographics of the city council, having elected its first Black majority in 1977. His career was defined by his willingness to work with the new representatives to pass legislation across party lines.
Valentine was born in Richmond, VA, in 1927. He graduated from the University of Virginia in 1950 and began working for Davenport & Co., a wealth management and financial advisory service company located in Richmond. Valentine continued to work with the company, becoming its CEO in 1973, a position he held until 1992. He also served as the company's chairman from 1985 to 2013.
While working for Davenport & Co., Valentine was elected to serve on the Richmond City Council in 1970, a position he held until 1978. Valentine viewed cooperation as necessary for the city and was known for his willingness to cooperatively create legislation while keeping the needs of the Black population of Richmond in mind. Following federal court-mandated redistricting, the Richmond community elected its first Black majority to the City Council in 1977. The new majority included politicians such as Willie Dell, Walter T. Kenny, and Mayor Henry L. Marsh, Richmond's first Black mayor. Valentine remained as one of the white minority members on the council. During his final years on the city council, Valentine continued to collaborate with the Black majority. He served as Vice Mayor of Richmond from 1977 to1978 alongside Mayor Marsh.
Valentine also served on the University of Virginia's board of visitors, acted as chairman of the Woodberry Forest School, and served as president of several organizations such as the Valentine Richmond History Center, University of Virginia Alumni Association, Children's Hospital of Richmond, Richmond Renaissance, St. Andrew's Association, and Richmond Tennis Association.
The Henry L. Valentine papers, 1970-1989, is a collection of materials used by Valentine during his tenure on the Richmond City Council and as Vice Mayor of Richmond. The papers provide insight into the administrative duties of local government in the Richmond area during the 1970s and 1980s. The materials which cover Valentine's tenure during the years 1977-1978 are of particular note due to the demographic shift of the City Council to include its first-ever Black majority of members. This collection provides a unique look into a local politician's agenda and actions during a time of pivotal changes in the representation of Black citizens of Richmond, VA.
Most of the collection is composed of correspondence and administrative files pertaining to budgets, taxation, local ordinances, government-led community initiatives, and proposals in which Valentine was involved during his tenure on the City Council. These files detail basic briefings of situations facing the city as well as how Valentine responded to these situations. These are supplemented by several speeches and official city council public statements delivered by Valentine. The speeches cover a variety of political positions on pressing issues such as the city government's changing demographics, the Richmond Water Control Board, taxation, and Richmond's annexation of land from Chesterfield County.
Other files of note include Valentine's election strategy files for the 1977 City Council election, voting statistics and analyses, and files regarding various court cases involving local politicians and public figures.
The collection is arranged alphabetically by topic and chronologically therein.