Dr. Florence Farley served as Chief Psychologist at Central State Hospital in Petersburg, Virginia, and was the first African American clinically licensed, by examination, psychologist in the state of Virginia. Farley then joined the faculty at Virginia State where she taught graduate and undergraduate students for over forty years and also served as the chair of the department of psychology. In 1973, she was the first woman elected to the Petersburg City Council and became a member of Virginia’s first majority-black city council. Farley won re-election in 1978 and 1982. In 1984, after the resignation of Mayor R. Wilson Cheely, Farley became the first female mayor of Petersburg and the first African-American woman to become mayor of a Virginia city.
From 2002 to 2006, Farley served on the Petersburg School Board and held the post of vice chair during her time on the school board. In 2010, Farley was recognized by The Library of Virginia as an “African American Trailblazer in Virginia History.” Farley maintained an independent psychology practice in Petersburg.
