Samuel Wilson Crump (1919-1995)

Samuel W. Crump, a native of New Kent County and a veteran of World War II, was among the first African Americans elected to public office in Virginia under the state's Constitution of 1902, which disfranchised many black voters. Elected to the New Kent County Board of Supervisors in 1955, Crump became the board’s first African American member since the 19th century. His victory followed a countywide effort to increase the number of qualified voters. During Crump’s 12 years of service, he often provided the lone vote against measures designed to maintain school segregation. New Kent’s branch of the NAACP named Crump one of the county’s “trailblazers” of the century in 2009.

Department of Historic Resources, 2019