Changes

==Political career==

==Political career==

Godwin was a state representative from 1948 to 1952, a state senator from 1952 and 1962, and the state lieutenant governor from 1962 to 1966, when he began his term as a Democratic governor.<ref name=findagrave/> As a state senator, Godwin supported the "massive resistance" to school [[desegregation]], which challenged the [[United States Supreme Court]]'s ''[[Brown v. Board of Education]]'' opinion, issued on May 17, 1954. In time, he, like other Byrd Democrats, concluded that resistance to racial integration was unsustainable. Godwin defended his support of "massive resistance" to allow time for racial relations to heal.<ref>THE LEGACY OF MILLS GODWIN - ''[[The Washington Post]].'' accessed October 12, 2021.</ref>

Godwin was a state representative from 1948 to 1952, a state senator from 1952 and 1962, and the state lieutenant governor from 1962 to 1966, when he began his term as a Democratic governor.<ref name=findagrave/> As a state senator, Godwin supported the "massive resistance" to school [[desegregation]], which challenged the [[United States Supreme Court]]'s ''[[Brown v. Board of Education]]'' opinion, issued on May 17, 1954. In time, he, like other Byrd Democrats, concluded that resistance to racial integration was unsustainable. Godwin defended his support of "massive resistance" to allow time for racial relations to heal.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1999/02/21/the-legacy-of-mills-godwin/37be6b47-1594-475b-bf57-15568e7e4328/ THE LEGACY OF MILLS GODWIN] - ''[[The Washington Post]].'' accessed October 12, 2021.</ref>

In 1964, Lieutenant Governor Godwin endorsed [[U.S. President]] [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] in the race against Republican U.S. Senator [[Barry Goldwater]] of [[Arizona]]. Johnson had signed into law the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]], which Goldwater had opposed at the time on libertarian grounds against Titles II and VII. In the 1965 gubernatorial race, Godwin was unopposed in the party [[primary]]. In the fall he defeated the Republican Linwood Holton, for whom later President [[Richard Nixon]] had campaigned, and William J. Story, Jr., the nominee of the former Conservative Party of Virginia.

In 1964, Lieutenant Governor Godwin endorsed [[U.S. President]] [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] in the race against Republican U.S. Senator [[Barry Goldwater]] of [[Arizona]]. Johnson had signed into law the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]], which Goldwater had opposed at the time on libertarian grounds against Titles II and VII. In the 1965 gubernatorial race, Godwin was unopposed in the party [[primary]]. In the fall he defeated the Republican Linwood Holton, for whom later President [[Richard Nixon]] had campaigned, and William J. Story, Jr., the nominee of the former Conservative Party of Virginia.

As governor, Godwin abandoned the state's "pay as you go" fiscal policy, which Virginia had followed since the gubernatorial administration of the senior Byrd. Instead, the state issued bonds to pay for capital projects.

As governor, Godwin abandoned the state's "pay as you go" fiscal policy, which Virginia had followed since the gubernatorial administration of the senior Byrd. Instead, the state issued bonds to pay for capital projects.

In 1976, Governor Godwin supported the bid of President [[Gerald Ford|Gerald R. Ford, Jr.]], for the Republican presidential nomination against challenger [[Ronald Reagan]], the former governor of [[California]]. The Virginia Republican Party convention of that year, however, chose a pro-Reagan delegation to the pivotal 1976 national convention in [[Kansas City]], [[Missouri]]. Godwin was designated as co-chairman of the delegation, along with the strong conservative [[Richard D. Obenshain]], who died in an airplane crash in 1978 after being nominated for the U.S. Senate.<ref>Crash Kills Obenshain - The Washington Post, accessed October 12, 2021,</ref> He was replaced as nominee by [[John Warner]], who ran as a conservative but later like Holton became the [[Moderate Republican]] icon in Virginia.

In 1976, Governor Godwin supported the bid of President [[Gerald Ford|Gerald R. Ford, Jr.]], for the Republican presidential nomination against challenger [[Ronald Reagan]], the former governor of [[California]]. The Virginia Republican Party convention of that year, however, chose a pro-Reagan delegation to the pivotal 1976 national convention in [[Kansas City]], [[Missouri]]. Godwin was designated as co-chairman of the delegation, along with the strong conservative [[Richard D. Obenshain]], who died in an airplane crash in 1978 after being nominated for the U.S. Senate.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1978/08/04/crash-kills-obenshain/3e42abe9-7a4a-4fb1-ac0f-338fd0815715/ Crash Kills Obenshain - The Washington Post], accessed October 12, 2021,</ref> He was replaced as nominee by [[John Warner]], who ran as a conservative but later like Holton became the [[Moderate Republican]] icon in Virginia.

His personal and gubernatorial papers are located in the Special Collections Research Center at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720120808/http://scrc.swem.wm.edu/index.php?p=collections%2Fcontrolcard&id=6793|title=Mills E. Godwin, Jr., Papers|publisher=Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library, College of William and Mary|accessdate=February 1, 2011}}</ref>

His personal and gubernatorial papers are located in the Special Collections Research Center at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720120808/http://scrc.swem.wm.edu/index.php?p=collections%2Fcontrolcard&id=6793|title=Mills E. Godwin, Jr., Papers|publisher=Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library, College of William and Mary|accessdate=February 1, 2011}}</ref>