Justin Fairfax

Justin Edward Fairfax (born February 17, 1979) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 41st lieutenant governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the second African-American elected statewide in Virginia, following Douglas Wilder. In 2019, he faced sexual assault allegations dating to 2000 and 2004, which he denied. In 2021, he was a Democratic candidate for Governor of Virginia. He finished fourth in the Democratic primary with 3.54% of the vote. Early life and career Fairfax's ancestors were enslaved to the Lords Fairfax of Cameron (for whom Fairfax County, Virginia is named). His ancestor, Simon Fairfax, was freed by Thomas Fairfax, 9th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, who manumitted his slaves as part of his Swedenborgian beliefs. Justin Fairfax was presented with a copy of the manumission document by his father on the day he was sworn in as Virginia's lieutenant governor in 2018. Fairfax's eldest brother, Roger Jr., is a legal scholar. Fairfax moved with his family from Pittsburgh to Northeast Washington, D.C., when he was five years old. One of four children, Fairfax graduated from DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, where he was senior class president. Fairfax then graduated from Duke University in 2000, with a degree in public policy. After serving on the staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee for two years, Fairfax earned a J.D. degree from Columbia Law School, where he was a member of the Columbia Law Review. Career