On February 18, the Virginia General Assembly named the Honorable J. Harvie Wilkinson III as the 2026 Outstanding Virginian, recognizing his extraordinary career in law, journalism, and public service.
The Outstanding Virginian Award honors individuals whose distinguished contributions, outstanding achievements, and dedicated leadership serve as an inspiration to all civic-minded citizens, emulating the motto, “Service, not self.”
UVA Batten Dean Ian H. Solomon is a member of the award selection committee and was in Richmond to join Wilkinson in receiving this honor, along with the presentation of House Joint Resolution No. 133, noting the body’s “admiration for [Wilkinson’s] integrity, legal acumen, commitment to excellence, and deep dedication to public service.”
“Judge Wilkinson has lived a life dedicated to upholding the rule of law and continues to serve the Commonwealth with distinction,” said Solomon. “It was truly moving today to see how many of the delegates and senators know him personally as a former professor, a neighbor, a lawyer, judge, and an admired and respected friend.”
A Richmond native, Wilkinson attended Yale University and served in the United States Army Reserve before earning his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1972. He was a member of the Order of the Coif and the Virginia Law Review, and made history as the first student to serve on the UVA Board of Visitors, appointed by Governor Linwood Holton.
Wilkinson began his legal career in 1972 clerking for Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr. of the U.S. Supreme Court, an experience that helped shape his vision of what a judge should be, epitomizing a measured and balanced approach to the bench.
After his clerkship, Wilkinson returned to serve on the faculty of the UVA School of Law teaching constitutional law, federal courts, and criminal procedure throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. In 1978, he became editor of the Virginian-Pilot covering local issues important to the Tidewater Region before returning to public service as a deputy assistant attorney general in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
In 1984, President Reagan appointed him to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit – a seat he has now held for 41 years, the longest tenure in that court’s history and among the longest active federal appellate tenures in the nation.
According to the House Resolution, “Wilkinson has often expressed the hope that the judicial system would serve as a beacon of ordered liberty and as an anchor of independence in the most divisive of times.”
Wilkinson was awarded the Thomas Jefferson Medal in Law in 2004 by UVA and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello, the highest external honor bestowed by the University, recognizing achievements of those who embrace endeavors in which Jefferson excelled and held in high regard.
Beyond the courtroom, Wilkinson has authored several books on public policy, constitutional theory, and political and judicial history. His books include a personal memoir, All Falling Faiths: Reflections on the Promise and Failure of the 1960s, and a novel, Love at Deep Dusk: A Pennsylvania Story. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the American Law Institute.
He lives in Charlottesville with his wife, Lossie. They have two children, Nelson and Porter, and three grandchildren.
