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Martin Meredith Lipscomb (1823-1903) exemplified a new
generation of political leaders who emerged after the Virginia
Constitution of 1851 abolished property ownership as a
prerequisite for voting. A bricklayer, Lipscomb ran for mayor of
Richmond in 1853 and lost, but in 1854 he campaigned among the
working classes and was elected city sergeant. Virginia's
traditional political leaders were unnerved at the prospect of
having working men invade the world of public service that had
been reserved for gentlemen, but the achievements of Lipscomb
and many others like him made Virginia's political culture
more egalitarian and democratic. Lipscomb remained active in
Richmond city politics until shortly before his death fifty
years after his first run for public office, always taking the
side of reformers and always upsetting established political
apple carts. |
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Martin
Meredith Lipscomb. Photograph. Courtesy of the Valentine Museum.
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Virginia
Cavalcade |
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