The Commission on Education, known as the Perrow Commission after its chairman, Virginia state senator

Mosby Perrow Jr. Mosby Garland Perrow, Jr. (born March 5, 1909 – May 31, 1973) was a Virginia lawyer and state senator representing Lynchburg, Virginia . A champion of Virginia's public schools, Perrow became a key figure in Virginia's abandonment of "Massive ...

, was a 40-member commission established by

Governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia serves as the head of government of Virginia for a four-year term. The incumbent, Glenn Youngkin, was sworn in on January 15, 2022. Oath of office On inauguration day, the Governor-elect takes th ...

J. Lindsay Almond James Lindsay Almond Jr. (June 15, 1898 – April 14, 1986) was an American lawyer, state and federal judge and Democratic party politician. His political offices included as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 6th congr ...

on February 5, 1959 after the

Virginia Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Virginia is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It primarily hears direct appeals in civil cases from the trial-level city and county circuit courts, as well as the criminal law, family law and administrati ...

Harrison v. Day Harrison may refer to: People * Harrison (name) * Harrison family of Virginia, United States Places In Australia: * Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin In Canada: * Inukjuak, Quebec, or "Po ...

and a three-judge federal court in

James v. Almond James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

had both struck down significant portions of the Stanley Plan, which had implemented

Massive Resistance Massive resistance was a strategy declared by U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd Sr. of Virginia and his brother-in-law James M. Thomson, who represented Alexandria in the Virginia General Assembly, to get the state's white politicians to pass laws and p ...

to the U.S. Supreme Court decisions in

Brown v. Board of Education ''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segregat ...

issued on May 17, 1954 and May 31, 1955. Four legislators (some from the Virginia Senate, others from the House of Delegates) were appointed from each of the ten U.S. Congressional districts in Virginia. Compared to the

Gray Commission The Commission on Public Education, known as the VPEC or Gray Commission (after its chair, Virginia state senator Garland Gray), was a 32-member commission established by Governor of Virginia Thomas B. Stanley on August 23, 1954 to study the effects ...

that Governor

Thomas B. Stanley Thomas Bahnson Stanley (July 16, 1890 – July 10, 1970) was an American politician, furniture manufacturer and Holstein cattle breeder. A Democrat and member of the Byrd Organization, Stanley served in a number of different political office ...

had appointed five years previously, Perrow Commission included more representatives from cities, northern and Western Virginia, although many members served on both commissions.Ronald L. Heinemann, ''

Harry Byrd of Virginia ''Harry Byrd of Virginia'' is a non-fiction book, published in 1996 by University Press of Virginia by Ronald L. Heinemann, concerning Harry F. Byrd. James R. Sweeney of Old Dominion University wrote that the author "portrays Byrd as an unrelenti ...

'' (Charlottesville:

University of Virginia Press The University of Virginia Press (or UVaP) is a university press that is part of the University of Virginia. It was established in 1963 as the University Press of Virginia, under the initiative of the university's then President, Edgar F. Shann ...

, 1996) at pp. 347–50

Hearings and report

Governor Almond instructed the Commission to prepare a report by the end of the legislative session on March 31, 1959. Following extensive public hearings and debate, the Commission on March 31 issued a 74-page report: "The Commission is opposed to integration and offers the program set out herein because it thinks it is the best that can be devised at this time to avoid integration and preserve our public schools." It further described a "local option" plan that included new pupil placement laws, a new compulsory attendance law, and tuition grants that could be used at what came to be known as "

segregation academies Segregation academies are private schools in the Southern United States that were founded in the mid-20th century by white parents to avoid having their children attend desegregated public schools. They were founded between 1954, when the U.S. ...

," similar to the former Gray plan that had never been adopted but superseded by the more radical and now-overturned Stanley Plan. Thus, members assured segregationists that it would preserve their values and predicted its passage.

Criticism and aftermath

Many segregationists were appalled at the Commission's report for betraying the Massive Resistance movement. On the eve of the state Senate's vote on adopting the Perrow Commissions' recommendations, 5000 people (mostly from

Southside Virginia Southside, or Southside Virginia, has traditionally referred to the portion of the state south of the James River, the geographic feature from which the term derives its name. This was the first area to be developed in the colonial period. Duri ...

) gathered in Richmond's Capital Square to condemn Governor Almond and Lieutenant Governor Stephens for supporting the Perrow Commission's recommendations, rather than fight on. Later, liberals would criticize it for replacing "Massive Resistance" with "Passive Resistance." Former Perrow Commission member George M. Cochran later recalled how, after four hours of debate, the House approved the House bill reported from the Education Committee 54 to 45, leading to final passage 54 to 46. On the Senate side, an anti-Perrow Commission majority controlled the Senate Education Committee and so Almond's allies used a parliamentary device to permit the entire Senate, rather than just that small committee, to vote on the pupil assignment bill. To break a deadlocked Senate, however, supporters needed the tie-breaking vote of Senator

Stuart B. Carter Stuart Barns Carter (April 25. 1906 – June 12, 1983) was a Virginia lawyer, farmer and businessmen who also served as the Democratic legislator representing Botetourt and Craig Counties: first as a delegate in the Virginia General Assembly ...

of Fincastle in

Botetourt County Botetourt County ( ) is a US county that lies in the Roanoke Region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Located in the mountainous portion of the state, the county is bordered by two major ranges, the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Mounta ...

, who had long argued against the school closings at the heart of Massive Resistance. Carter had opposed the tuition assistance aspects of the Gray plan and had recently had major surgery. Carter was wheeled into the Senate chambers on a stretcher to cast the decisive favorable vote. The bill passed 20 to 19. The following day, on the same 20 to 19 vote, the Senate approved the local pupil assignment bill. The 1959 special session established a permanent fissure in the

Byrd Organization The Byrd machine, or Byrd organization, was a political machine of the Democratic Party led by former Governor and U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd (1887–1966) that dominated Virginia politics for much of the 20th century. From the 1890s until the ...

, "embittering old friends toward one another." The Senate's passage of the "local option" helped trigger the seemingly-inevitable decline and fall of Massive Resistance, but Perrow paid a political price. He lost support within the Byrd Organization, which defeated his re-election plans in the 1963 Democratic primary. Governor Harrison later appointed Perrow as president of the

Virginia State Board of Education The Virginia State Board of Education is an independent board established by the state of Virginia in the United States which helps set state elementary and secondary educational policy, advocates within state government for elementary and secondar ...

. Legal challenges to the remains of Massive Resistance continued, and in 1963, Virginia lost ''

NAACP v. Button ''NAACP v. Button'', 371 U.S. 415 (1963), is a 6-to-3 ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States which held that the reservation of jurisdiction by a federal district court did not bar the U.S. Supreme Court from reviewing a state court's ru ...

''. The following year, the

US Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point of ...

overturned Prince Edward County's obstinacy in ''

Griffin v. County School Board of Prince Edward County ''Griffin v. County School Board of Prince Edward County'', 377 U.S. 218 (1964), is a case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States that held that the County School Board of Prince Edward County, Virginia's decision to close all local, ...

''. Moreover, over

Dixiecrat The States' Rights Democratic Party (whose members are often called the Dixiecrats) was a short-lived segregationist political party in the United States, active primarily in the South. It arose due to a Southern regional split in opposition t ...

opposition and filibusters, US President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

convinced the US Congress to enact civil rights legislation, including the

Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. It prohibits unequal application of voter registration req ...

, then the

Voting Rights Act of 1965 The suffrage, Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of Federal government of the United States, federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President of the United ...

, which undercut the Byrd Organization's base. In April 1965, the

Department of Health, Education and Welfare The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto i ...

issued guidelines that required all school districts to file compliance documents by July. With increased funding as an incentive, all but 5 of Virginia's 130 school districts had filed desegregation plans and documentation concerning compliance by April 1965. In ''

Green v. County School Board of New Kent County ''Green v. County School Board of New Kent County'', 391 U.S. 430 (1968), was an important United States Supreme Court case involving school desegregation. Specifically, the Court dealt with the freedom of choice plans created to avoid compliance ...

'', the Supreme Court heard arguments challenging the freedom-of-choice plan that the New Kent school board had enacted supposedly to desegregate the county schools on a voluntary basis and allowed white children to attend

at public expense. Arguing on behalf of the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

and representing black parents,

Samuel W. Tucker Samuel Wilbert Tucker (June 18, 1913 – October 19, 1990) was an American lawyer and a cooperating attorney with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). His civil rights career began as he organized a 1939 sit-in ...

used statistics to show that the county's plan was no more than segregation by another name 14 years after ''Brown''. In May 1968, the Court agreed by finding the freedom-of-choice plan an inadequate remedy and ruling that school boards had an "affirmative duty" to desegregate their schools, not to place the burden upon black schoolchildren and their parents.Brian J. Daugherity, Keep on Keeping On (University ofVirginia Press 2016 at 124 et seq.

Members of the Commission

As shown by the # symbols below, members of the Perrow Commission significantly overlapped with those of the Gray Commission but also included more representatives from cities and northern and western Virginia. Southside Virginia had been overrepresented in the Gray Commission. * Mosby G. Perrow Jr. of Lynchburg(12th Senatorial District), Chairman *

Harry B. Davis Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

of Norfolk, vice-chairman# First Congressional District *

Howard H. Adams Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probab ...

of Eastville representing Accomack and Northampton counties# *

of Norfolk (vice-chairman)# *

Russell M. Carneal Russell Morris Carneal (May 9, 1918 – July 27, 1998) was an American legislator and judge who served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1954 to 1973. After his retirement from the lower house of the state legislature, Carneal assumed the di ...

of Williamsburg representing Charles City, James City, New Kent and York Counties and Williamsburg# * W. Marvin Minter of Mathews (31st Senatorial District)# Second Congressional District * Edward L. Breeden Jr. of Norfolk (2d Senatorial District) * Wilbur T. Leary of Portsmouth, representing Norfolk County and South Norfolk * Willard J. Moody of Portsmouth *

James W. Roberts James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

of Norfolk# Third Congressional District *

FitzGerald Bemiss FitzGerald Bemiss, also known as Gerry Bemiss, (October 2, 1922 – February 7, 2011) was an American businessman and philanthropist who also served in the Virginia General Assembly, representing the City of Richmond, Virginia, in first the House ...

of Richmond (34th Senatorial District) *

Fred G. Pollard Frederick Gresham Pollard (May 7, 1918 – July 7, 2003) of Richmond, Virginia was a lawyer and politician. He served in the Virginia House of Delegates and was the 29th Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Early life an ...

of Richmond * Edward E. Willey of Richmond (34th Senatorial District) * Joseph J. Williams Jr. of Richmond Fourth Congressional District *

Garland Gray Garland Gray (November 28, 1901 – July, 1977, nicknamed "Peck" after Peck's Bad Boy) was a long-time Democratic member of the Virginia Senate representing Southside Virginia counties, including his native Sussex. A lumber and banking execu ...

of Waverly (6th Senatorial District)# *

John H. Daniel John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Seco ...

of Charlotte Court House, representing Charlotte and Prince Edward Counties# * Mills E. Godwin Jr. of Suffolk (5th Senatorial District)# *

Joseph C. Hutcheson Joseph Chappell Hutcheson, Sr. (May 18, 1842 – May 25, 1924), was a Texas politician and a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives and the United States House of Representatives. Biography Hutcheson was born near Boydton, V ...

of Lawrenceville (7th Senatorial District) Fifth Congressional District *

James D. Hagood James Davis Hagood (November 4, 1889 – December 30, 1972) was a Virginia physician and Democratic member of the Senate of Virginia. Allied with the Byrd Organization, Hagood represented a district centered around Halifax County part-time for t ...

of Clover (4th Senatorial District)# *

S. Floyd Landreth Sydney Floyd Landreth (March 27, 1885 – October 2, 1977) was an American lawyer, banker and Republican politician from Galax, Virginia who represented the 14th state senatorial district for two decades. He ran unsuccessfully for Governor of V ...

of Galax (14th Senatorial District) (one of 2 Republicans)# *

Chase S. Wheatley Jr. Chase or CHASE may refer to: Businesses * Chase Bank, a national bank based in New York City, New York * Chase Aircraft (1943–1954), a defunct American aircraft manufacturing company * Chase Coaches, a defunct bus operator in England * Chas ...

of Danville# * Hunt M. Whitehead of Chatham Sixth Congressional District *

Earl A. Fitzpatrick Earl Abbath Fitzpatrick (September 22, 1904 – June 22, 1984) was a Virginia lawyer and member of the Virginia General Assembly representing Roanoke between 1940 and 1959, first as a delegate and then as a state Senator. A lieutenant in the Byr ...

of Roanoke (35th Senatorial District)# * Kossen Gregory of Roanoke * Mosby G. Perrow Jr. of Lynchburg (12th Senatorial District) * H. Ray Webber of Low Moor, representing Alleghany County, Covington and Clifton Forge Seventh Congressional District *

Curry Carter Curry Carter (April 17, 1892 – May 15, 1970) was a Virginia Democratic politician from Staunton, Virginia. Early life and education Carter was born on April 17, 1892, in Washington, Virginia in Rappahannock County to French Pendleton Carter an ...

of Staunton (22nd Senatorial District)# * George M. Cochran of Staunton, representing Augusta and Highland Counties and Staunton and Waynesboro * Lawrence H. Hoover of Harrisonburg, representing Rockingham County and Harrisonburg *

Robert Whitehead Robert Whitehead (3 January 1823 – 14 November 1905) was an English engineer who was most famous for developing the first effective self-propelled naval torpedo. Early life He was born in Bolton, England, the son of James Whitehead, ...

of Lovingston, representing Nelson and Amherst Counties Eighth Congressional District * Robert Y. Button of Culpeper (27th Senatorial District)# * Robert R. Gwathmey III of Hanover *

Edward O. McCue Jr. Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...

of Charlottesville (25th Senatorial District) *

W. Tayloe Murphy Sr. William Tayloe Murphy (May 6, 1901 – November 16, 1962) was an American politician and businessman from Virginia. He served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1940 to 1942 and from 1948 to 1959. He was Virginia State Treasurer from 1942 ...

of Warsaw, representing Northumberland, Westmoreland, Lancaster and Richmond counties# Ninth Congressional District * Macon M. Long of St. Paul (17th Senatorial District) *

Garnett S. Moore Garnett St. Clair Moore (September 9, 1914 – July 25, 1984) was an American politician and lawyer from Virginia. He served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1954 to 1971. Early life and education Garnett St. Clair Moore was ...

of Pulaski * Vernon C. Smith of Grundy, representing Buchanan County * Harry C. Stuart of Elk Garden (18th Senatorial District) Tenth Congressional District *

Charles R. Fenwick Charles Rogers Fenwick (August 11, 1900 – February 22, 1969) was a patent attorney and Virginia Democratic politician aligned with the Byrd Organization who served part-time in the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate representing Arlington ...

of Arlington (9th Senatorial District)# * John A. K. Donovan of Falls Church (28th Senatorial District) * C. Harrison Mann of Arlington * James M. Thomson of Alexandria Members of Gray Commission not on Perrow Commission * J. Bradie Allman of Rocky Mount representing Franklin County (retired) * Robert F. Baldwin Jr. of Norfolk (2nd Senatorial District) * Joseph E. Blackburn of Lynchburg (retired) *

Orby L. Cantrell Orby Lee Cantrell (November 10, 1906 – April 29, 1982) was an American Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Bots ...

of Pound, representing Wise and Norton counties *

Walter C. Caudill Walter Cleveland Caudill (June 9, 1888 – January 18, 1963) was a Virginia physician and politician. As a member of the Virginia General Assembly, Caudill represented Pearisburg, Virginia and adjoining counties between 1936 and 1955, first as a ...

of Pearisburg (19th Senatorial District)(retired) *

Charles W. Cleaton Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was ...

of South Hill, representing Mecklenburg County *

Albertis S. Harrison Jr. Albertis Sydney Harrison Jr. (January 11, 1907 – January 23, 1995) was an American politician and jurist. A member of the Democratic Party associated with Virginia's Byrd Organization, he was the 59th Governor of Virginia in 1962–66, and the ...

of Lawrenceville (elected attorney general) *

Charles K. Hutchens Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

of Newport News * Baldwin G. Locher of Lexington, representing Rockbridge, Bath and Buena Vista counties *

J. Maynard Magruder James Maynard Magruder (February 9, 1900 – May 9, 1969) was an American real estate and insurance executive, as well as an attorney who served as a Democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates representing Arlington County from 1944 ...

of Arlington (retired) *

G. Edmond Massie G is the seventh letter of the Latin alphabet. G may also refer to: Places * Gabon, international license plate code G * Glasgow, UK postal code G * Eastern Quebec, Canadian postal prefix G * Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia, ...

of Richmond (35th Senatorial District)(defeated) *

Samuel E. Pope Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bib ...

of Drewryville, representing Southampton County *

Harold H. Purcell Harold Hidmore Purcell (February 7, 1920 – July 14, 2007) was an American lawyer, judge and politician affiliated with the Byrd Organization who served in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly representing his native Louisa County and ...

of Louisa (27th Senatorial District) *

Vernon S. Shaffer Vernon Spitler Shaffer (February 20, 1884 – May 3, 1958) was an American farmer and Republican Party (United States), Republican politician who represented Shenandoah County, Virginia, Shenandoah County in the Virginia House of Delegates from ...

of Maurertown (deceased) * W. Roy Smith of Petersburg, representing Petersburg and Dinwiddie County *

J. Randolph Tucker, Jr. John Randolph "Bunny" Tucker Jr. (June 29, 1914 – November 27, 2015) (nicknamed "Bunny") was an American attorney and politician who served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1950 to 1958, and later as a judge of the Circuit ...

of Richmond (retired)

References

{{Reflist History of racial segregation in the United States Race legislation in the United States Legal history of Virginia History of African-American civil rights Civil rights movement