Richard Baxter Gilliam

Richard Baxter Gilliam
Occupation(s)	Business leader, philanthropist
Known for	Founder of Cumberland Resources; major political donor; founder of The Richard and Leslie Gilliam Foundation

Richard Baxter Gilliam is an American business leader who founded Cumberland Resources, a coal mining company headquartered in Abingdon, Virginia. The company operated with a workforce exceeding 1,200 employees across Southwestern Virginia and Eastern Kentucky. In 2010, Gilliam finalized the sale of Cumberland Resources to Massey Energy (currently known as Alpha Natural Resources) for $960 million. After the transaction, he allocated more than $80 million to his staff. The following year, in 2011, Gilliam and his spouse, Leslie Flanary Gilliam, created The Richard and Leslie Gilliam Foundation.

Public activity

As a prominent conservative contributor in Virginia, Gilliam donated $750,000 in 2012 to organizations such as American Crossroads and Restore Our Future. In 2009, he ranked as the fifth largest financial supporter of Governor Bob McDonnell's campaign and received an appointment from McDonnell in 2010 to serve on the state's Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates. Additionally, Gilliam was among the leading donors to Ken Cuccinelli's 2013 bid for governor.

In 2018, Gilliam pledged $5.2 million to James Madison University to fund the creation of the Center for Entrepreneurship, which was named in memory of his late wife, Leslie Flanary Gilliam.