"RICHMOND, May 16 -- L. Douglas Wilder, the nation's first elected black governor, said Friday that he will not run for reelection as Richmond's mayor, probably putting an end to his long political career.

"I've done everything I could do," Wilder said in an interview. "At my age, after 30-plus years of service, you need time to do some other things."

Wilder, 77, the grandson of slaves and a Richmond native, has been a fixture in Virginia politics for four decades, serving as a state senator, lieutenant governor and governor before running for president in 1992.

"He's an American original," said Robert D. Holsworth, a political science professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and a friend of Wilder's. "At the end of the day, he will probably go down as one of the most remarkable figures in the second half of the 20th century in Virginia. He led people to believe that anyone could aspire to any office."

The charismatic, often flamboyant Wilder was known as an outspoken, sometimes combative Democrat who was not shy about breaking ranks with his party.

Former governor Mark R. Warner, who ran Wilder's 1989 campaign for governor, credited Wilder with giving him his start in politics. "Doug has always been willing to offer an independent voice," Warner said, "and he and I have not always agreed, but I have enormous respect for his public service."

In 2003, Wilder persuaded Richmond voters to change the city charter to allow for the direct election of mayors and to give mayors executive powers. Richmond became the only one of 39 Virginia cities to have a strong-mayor form of government, and Wilder ended up running for the job himself.

Wilder's decision to retire from elective politics was not all that surprising. In recent months, he has been criticized for his spending, which included an eight-person security detail. He clashed repeatedly with the City Council, and he abruptly evicted the school system from the building it had called home for more than 30 years.

Wilder informed the city staff Friday morning of his decision not to run and then released a statement to news organizations.

"As the first elected mayor under the city's new form of government, I have set the course that will continue to produce meaningful results even as I now announce my leave from this office at the end of the year," he said in the statement.

Wilder said in the interview that he would like have some affiliation with Virginia Commonwealth University, whose School of Government and Public Affairs is named for him.

Wilder said he contributed to "unprecedented gains" in public safety, economic development and education during his tenure. "There is a new spirit within the city that we have turned the corner since 2005 and are reaching our potential to be all that we can be," he said.

If he had decided to run in the fall, Wilder would have faced a tough race. Paul Goldman, a former Wilder aide, and Del. Dwight Clinton Jones (D-Richmond) have announced that they will run for mayor. The filing deadline is June 10.

"Doug Wilder opened doors for many African-American candidates throughout the country," Jones said in a statement.

Many in Richmond, including a group of ministers, were hoping that Wilder would run again, despite his waning popularity,

Community activist Alicia Rasin could barely control her tears when she heard the news.

"He's done so much to build the city of Richmond," she said. "But some people couldn't adjust to change. You always have someone saying something negative."" (Anita Kumar, The Washington Post, May 17, 2008)

Staff writer Tim Craig contributed to this report.