Back رالف نورثام Arabic رالف نورثام ARZ رلف نورتم AZB Ralph Northam BS Ralph Northam German Ραλφ Νόρθαμ Greek Ralph Northam Spanish رلف نورتم Persian Ralph Northam Finnish Ralph Northam French
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Ralph Northam | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Northam in 2018 | |
| 73rd Governor of Virginia | |
| In office January 13, 2018 – January 15, 2022 | |
| Lieutenant | Justin Fairfax |
| Preceded by | Terry McAuliffe |
| Succeeded by | Glenn Youngkin |
| 40th Lieutenant Governor of Virginia | |
| In office January 11, 2014 – January 13, 2018 | |
| Governor | Terry McAuliffe |
| Preceded by | Bill Bolling |
| Succeeded by | Justin Fairfax |
| Member of the Virginia Senate from the 6th district | |
| In office January 9, 2008 – January 11, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Nick Rerras |
| Succeeded by | Lynwood Lewis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ralph Shearer Northam September 13, 1959 Nassawadox, Virginia, U.S. |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Virginia Military Institute (BS) Eastern Virginia Medical School (MD) |
| Occupation | military physician, politician, neurologist |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1984–1992 |
| Rank |  Major |
| Unit | Army Medical Corps |
Ralph Shearer Northam (born September 13, 1959) is an American physician and former politician who served as the 73rd governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022.[1] A pediatric neurologist by occupation, he was an officer in the U.S. Army Medical Corps from 1984 to 1992. Northam, a member of the Democratic Party, served as the 40th lieutenant governor of Virginia from 2014 to 2018 before winning the governorship against the Republican nominee Ed Gillespie in the 2017 election.[2] Prohibited by the Virginia Constitution from running for a consecutive term, Northam left office in January 2022 and was succeeded by the Republican Glenn Youngkin.[3]
As governor, Northam's most notable accomplishments included expanding Medicaid coverage as allowed under the Affordable Care Act, abolishing the death penalty, legalizing marijuana, and raising the minimum wage.[4] Northam also led the state during the COVID-19 pandemic, where he was the only governor in the United States who was a licensed doctor. Most of the accomplishments of his tenure were overshadowed by the 2019 Virginia political crisis, when it was revealed in early 2019 that he had appeared either in blackface, or in a Ku Klux Klan uniform in one of several racially-charged entries published in his college yearbooks. Despite the scandal and pleas from black leaders to resign, Northam refused to do so and enjoyed wide popularity amongst Virginia voters through the rest of his term in office. Northam's concurrent political "Rebirth" was celebrated in the mainstream media. [5][6]
Northam is currently a neurologist at the Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters in Norfolk, VA where his clinical interests are epilepsy and neuromuscular disorders.[7]
- ^ "Dr. Ralph Northam MD". U.S. News & World Report. U.S. News & World Report L.P. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
- ^ Martin, Johnathan; Burns, Alexander (November 8, 2017). "Ralph Northam Wins the Virginia Governor's Race". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
- ^ "Constitution of Virginia, Article V. Executive, Section 1. Executive power; Governor's term of office". Legislative Information System. Archived from the original on July 31, 2014. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
- Paviour, Ben; Pope, Michael (January 15, 2022). "Republican Glenn Youngkin is sworn in as the governor of Virginia". NPR. Archived from the original on November 10, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022. - ^ "Northam signs Medicaid expansion into law on steps of Virginia Capitol". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
- "Virginia Governor Signs Law Abolishing The Death Penalty, A 1st In The South". NPR. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
- Oliver, Ned (April 7, 2021). "Marijuana will be legal in Virginia on July 1. Here's what is and isn't permitted under the new law". Virginia Mercury. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
- "2020 session". Virginia. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2022. - ^ Gabriel, Trip (November 11, 2019). "From Pariah to Powerhouse: Ralph Northam's Unlikely Rebirth in Virginia". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ Schneider, Gregory S. (January 9, 2022). "'A wounded healer': Ralph Northam wraps up term in office, forged by scandal into a governor of lasting consequence". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ "Dr. Ralph Northam | Pediatric Neurologist | Health & Medicine | CHKD". www.chkd.org. Retrieved July 7, 2024.