This Day in Henrico History: Nov. 7 – Henrico elects its first Black and first woman supervisors

On Nov. 7, 1995, Henrico County voters broke two barriers in local government by electing Frank Thornton and Patricia S. “Pat” O’Bannon to the Board of Supervisors. Thornton became the board’s first Black member and O’Bannon its first woman member.

A retrospective in Richmond Magazine described the elections as a "watershed moment" for the county.

Thornton represented Fairfield District and O’Bannon represented Tuckahoe District. They entered a five-member board whose decisions shape land use, budgets and services throughout the county.

The election was significant not merely because two candidates won seats, but because it changed who was represented at Henrico’s highest local governing table. Their subsequent long tenures are later history.

Sources: Henrico County, November 7, 1995 official election returns; Richmond magazine, Henrico’s Moon Shot.