Rudolph Clyde McCollum Jr. (born November 28, 1955) is an American lawyer who served as the mayor of

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

from 2001 to 2005.

Early life and education

A native of Richmond, McCollum graduated in 1973 from

Huguenot High School Huguenot High School, part of the Richmond Public Schools system, is a high school located in Richmond, Virginia, United States, with grades 9–12. Huguenot High School was named in honor of the Huguenots, French Protestants who emigrated to th ...

. McCollum graduated from historically-black Howard University with a B.A. in

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

in 1978. Later on, he received his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the University of Maryland School of Law; he was admitted to the state bar in 1991.

Political career

McCollum was first elected to the Richmond City Council in 1996. The councilman for the Fifth District, he represented the central-most portion of the city. After a three-year stint as Vice Mayor, it was announced in late 2001 that he would replace the outgoing Mayor,

Tim Kaine Timothy Michael Kaine (; born February 26, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Virginia since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 38th lieutenant governor of Virgini ...

, who was elected

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

in the November general election. McCollum was sworn in as the 77th

Mayor of Richmond The Mayor of the City of Richmond, Virginia is head of the executive branch of Richmond, Virginia's city government. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and enforces ...

on September 11, 2001. He was the last mayor of Richmond to be appointed by the nine-member city council before a 2004 voter-approved referendum which adopted the mayor-at-large form of government. Under this new system, the mayor is not appointed but rather elected by popular vote. Opting to run for a second term, McCollum received an extremely low percentage of the vote, losing to former

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

L. Douglas Wilder Lawrence Douglas Wilder (born January 17, 1931) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 66th Governor of Virginia from 1990 to 1994. He was the first African American to serve as governor of a U.S. state since the Reconstruction ...

by a margin of over 60 percent. Despite this, approval of McCollum was still fairly high when he left office. Many attribute his loss to a combination of his lack of campaigning and Wilder's reputation.

Post-mayoralty

McCollum has held a number of positions since his failed reelection bid. In 2006, he established his own law firm, where he currently practices bankruptcy and divorce law. Until 2011, he was a member of the Virginia Parole Board. Asked about possibly reentering politics, he said, "My main priority right now is to get my kids out of my house and prepare them for the world that they are going to have to live in. Those are certainly my two most important constituents — or three, with my wife."

References

External links

McCollum at Law
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCollum, Rudolph, Jr. Mayors of Richmond, Virginia Virginia Democrats Living people 1955 births Howard University alumni University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law alumni African-American mayors in Virginia 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people