John Tolbert

John W. Tolbert, Jr. (Charlestown, West Virginia, 12 July 1905 – 1999) was an American local education activist and local politician from Leesburg, Virginia.[1]

He was born in Charlestown, West Virginia, on July 12, 1905, to John W. Tolbert, Sr., and Sarah Dabney Tolbert. In his youth he attended Dunbar High School (Washington, D.C.).

He was the first black man to run for public office in Loudoun County, Virginia, John Tolbert later served on the Leesburg Town Council for 14 years, from 1976 to 1990, and never missed a meeting.[2] Active in public life, he gave his time and energy to numerous organizations and committees, receiving a number of awards for his achievements.[3]

John W. Tolbert Jr. Elementary School, Tolbert Street, the John W. Tolbert Jr. Bridge, and the Tolbert Building, all in Leesburg, are named in his honor.

References

  1. ↑ Obituary
  2. ↑ State of Virginia, Bill Tracking - 2000 session Legislation Feb 4, 2000 – "WHEREAS, appointed to the Leesburg Town Council in 1976, John Tolbert became the first African-American elected to the council in 1978; "
  3. ↑ Sarah Huntington. In Their Own Words: Recollections of an Earlier Loudoun. Xlibris, 2012. ISBN 1477137262. "When I moved to Loudoun in 1931 there were only 1,500 people living in Leesburg. Years later, in 1949, I ran for Town ..."


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