A. Linwood Holton Jr. (born 1923) was the first Republican Governor of Virginia in the 20th century. He was governor from 1970 to 1974. He was the Republican candidate for governor in 1965 but was defeated by Democrat Mills E. Godwin, Jr.. He later unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for the US Senate in 1978, running third in a field of Dick Obenshain, John Warner, and Nathan H. Miller . Jump to: navigation, search 1923 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party [1]), is one of the two major political parties in the United States (the other being the Democratic Party). ... Jump to: navigation, search The Governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... Jump to: navigation, search 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1999-The Bomb 1965 was a common year starting on Friday (link goes to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search Mills Edwin Godwin, Jr. ... Jump to: navigation, search Richard Dudley (Dick) Obenshain (1936-August 2, 1978) was an attorney in southwest Virginia and rising conservative political leader in the Republican Party of Virginia until his death in the crash of a small airplane in 1978. ... John Warner John William Warner (born February 18, 1927) is an American statesman and politician, who served as Secretary of the Navy from 1972-1974 and has served as a Republican senator from Virginia since 1978. ... Jump to: navigation, search Nathan Huff Miller Born in 1941, graduate of Bridgewater College and T.C. Williams School of Law, Republican State legislator from Virginia. ...

Holton was a creature of the mountain-valley GOP that fought the Byrd Machine, and was not in favor of welcoming conservative Democrats into the Virginia Republican party. As governor he pushed hard to field Republican candidates in all statewide races instead of endorsing conservative alternatives. This led to weak moderate GOP candidates who ran third in the Virginia US Senate election in 1970 and the Special election in 1971 to choose a successor for the deceased J. Sargent Reynolds. This article is about the modern United States Republican Party. ...

As the Virginia Republican Party became more conservative, he found himself more in line with the state Democratic Party, ultimately endorsing several democrats for statewide office, including his son-in-law, Virginia Lieutenant Governor and Governor-Elect Tim Kaine. Jump to: navigation, search The Lieutenant Governor is a constitutional officer of the Commonwealth of Virginia. ... Jump to: navigation, search Virginias Lieutenant Governor and Democratic Governor-Elect, Tim Kaine. ...

Career highlights

• Formerly Roanoke attorney.
• Increased employment of blacks and women in state government.
• Provided the first state funds for community mental health centers, supported environmental efforts.
• Later served as President of the Center for Innovative Technology.