Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Correspondence and Subject Files of the Virginia Secretary of Transportation, 1986-1989. Accession 33710, State Government Records Collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

This collection was transferred by the Office of the Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety, 18 January 1990.

Custodial History

This collection was transferred by the Secretary of Transportation and Public Saftey, but the collection has been filed under the Secretary of Transportation since the bulk of materials are relative to transportation.

Processing Information

This collection has been processed using minimal processing standards: the originial arrangement has been maintained, the container list is brief and simple, and the records have not been refoldered and fastners have not been removed.

Material found loose in boxes was foldered and given a title determined by the archivist. In cases where folder titles were inaccurate, the titles have been corrected to more adequately describe material.

Boxes 4-8 contain no folders.

Biographical Information

The Secretary of Transportation is a member of the Governor's Cabinet, they are selected by the governor, and subject to the approval of the General Assembly. The Secretary is responsible to the governor for the Department of Transportation, Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Department of Aviation, Department of Motor Vehicles, Virginia Port Authority and the Motor Vehicle Dealers Board. Their responsibilities include developing and implementing Virginia's transportation programs, including policies, financial oversight for six agencies and major projects.

The Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety was responsible for the following departments: Dept. of Transportation, Dept. of Aviation, Dept. of Motor Vehicles, Dept. of Emergency Services, Dept. of Fire Programs, Dept. of Military Affairs, Dept. of Alcoholic Beverage Control, Dept. of Correctional Education, Dept. of Corrections, Dept. of Youth Services, Dept. of Criminal Justice Services, Dept. of State Police and the Virginia Parole Board.

In 1972, Governor Linwood Holton proposed to the General Assembly a restructuring of state agencies into six major departments each headed by a secretary to be appointed by the governor. On April 8, 1972 the Department of Transportation and Public Safety was created, by an act passed by the General Assembly. The Office has undergone a series of administrative reorganizations since its creation. On April 12, 1976, the Legislature established separate secretariats for transportation and for public safety, effective July 1, 1976. From July 1, 1984- 1990 the two entities would again be combined under one secretariat. On February 22, 1990 the two were again separated, and have remained so.

The individuals who served as Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety were: Wayne A. Whitham (1976-1978), George M. Walters (1978-1982), Andrew B. Forgarty (1982-1984), John G. Milliken (1990-1993), Robert Martinez (1994-1998), Shirley Ybarra (1998-2002), Whittington W. Clement (2002-2005), Pierce R. Homer (2005-2010), Sean T. Connaughton (2010-1012).

The individuals who served as Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety were: Wayne A. Whitham (1972-1976), Franklin E. White (1984-1985), Andrew B. Fogarty (1985-1986) and Vivian E. Watts (1986-1990).

The first Secretary of Transportation (and Public Safety) was, Wayne A. Whitham, a member of the Winchester City Council. Whitham was reappointed by Governor-elect Miles E. Godwin, Jr., in December 1973 and by Governor-elect John N. Dalton in December 1977. Whitham suffered a heart attack in August 1978 and resigned in December 1978. On June 7, 1984, Whitham died in Richmond, Virginia.

George M. Walters, a former top executive of the Reynolds Metals Corporation, to succeed Whitham as Secretary of Transportation. Walters served until the end of Dalton's term in January 1982. Governor-elect Charles S. Robb, the first Democrat to be elected governor since 1965, did not retain any of Dalton's cabinet secretaries. Robb appointed Andrew B. Fogarty, Dalton's assistant secretary for financial policy, as Secretary of Transportation.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of files about infrastructure developement, citizen complaints, and Dulles Airport. The bulk of this collection is correspondence from the Governor's Office, other correspondants include citizens concerned with transportation developments. There are also complaints from citizens about the practice of work release for inmates due to the fact that Mu'Min slipped away from her work to commited a murder, then just went back to jail, the problem being that inmates given work release were not being monitored properly. Types of documents included are letters, memorandums, and reports.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into the following series: