Henrico County has been home to many remarkable people. From artists to entrepreneurs to civic leaders, these noteworthy individuals shaped not only our region, but also our nation. Explore our new and improved Notable Henricoans Database to discover some of the county’s most prominent citizens.
In Henrico’s long history, many individuals stand out for their leadership in politics, education, and entrepreneurship. Some you might learn about in school, such as Gabriel, who lead a rebellion to end slavery in Virginia in 1800, or Virginia Randolph, who opened the Mountain Road School in 1892 and ensured African American children in Henrico received high-quality education. If you are a bit more of a local history buff, you probably know of Adele Goodman Clark, the artist, activist, and suffragist, or Opossunoquonuske, who lead the indigenous Appamattock people alongside her brother, Coquonasum.
Others might not have made it into the textbooks (yet!) but that doesn’t make their achievements any less noteworthy. Martha Lazcano Muguira, a Mexican-born doctor and therapist, immigrated at 18 to the United States and spent much of her career improving the lives of homeless individuals in the greater Richmond area. Herman Dillard Melton was a medical technician and researcher at the Medical College of Virginia (MCV). He not only made advances in clinical research, but also broke down barriers in the medical field for people of color.
We have some individuals spotlighted on the database’s homepage, but there are so many more notable Henricoans! Explore the database to learn more about the people who shaped the history of our county and our country. You can browse the whole database, or use the drop-down menus to narrow your search results.
The best part about this database is that it is constantly growing. You can nominate someone to be in the database so long as they have lived in Henrico and are deceased. Visit our Nomination page to find out more information.