Vance Wilkins

Vance Wilkins
Official portrait, 1978
53rd Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates
In office January 12, 2000 – June 15, 2002
Preceded by	Tom Moss
Succeeded by	Lacey Putney (acting)
Minority Leader of the Virginia House of Delegates
In office November 19, 1991 – January 12, 2000
Preceded by	Andy Guest
Succeeded by	Richard Cranwell
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
In office January 11, 1978 – June 15, 2002
Preceded by	Donald G. Pendleton
Succeeded by	Ben Cline
Constituency	11th district (1978–1983) 24th district (1983–2002)
Personal details
Born	Shirley Vance Wilkins Jr. (1936-08-12) August 12, 1936 (age 87) Amherst, Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Leona Elena Ehlert
Alma mater	Virginia Tech (BS)
Occupation	General contractor
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Air Force
Years of service	1958–1960

Shirley Vance Wilkins Jr. (born August 12, 1936) is a retired American politician of the Republican Party. He was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1978 to 2002. In 2000 he became the first-ever Republican Speaker of the Virginia House and first non-Democratic Speaker since the Readjuster Party controlled the House in the early 1880s.

Wilkins was considered the driving force in the expansion of Republican House membership in the 1980s and 1990s, especially after he became minority leader in 1992. In his first term as Speaker, he oversaw the redistricting of the House after the 2000 census that led to an increase in the Republican majority from 52–47 (1 independent) to 64–34 (2 independents) after the November 2001 election.