The Role of an Urban Elite in a Municipal Annexation Dispute

Abstract

This study examines the racial politics involved in the 1970 annexation by Richmond, Virginia, of 23 square miles and 47,000 people from Chesterfield County. The annexation was initialed by a small, hut powerful group of individuals who were alarmed by the growth of the city's black population and the prospect that blacks could acquire a majority on the city council. The study concentrates on the events of the 1960's which culminated in the annexation. Attention is given, first, to the city's efforts to annex a portion of Henrico County and the reasons underlying the city's rejection of the Henrico annexation award. The attention then shifts to the Chesterfield annexation suit. The role of local elites is explored and the role of the slate legislature is also studied to probe the interconnection between state and local politicians and the common cause made by white leaders to perpetuate a capital city controlled by the while elite.