Doris M. Ward
Doris M. Ward | |
|---|---|
Ward in 1983 | |
| Assessor-Recorder of San Francisco | |
| In office April 3, 1992 – January 8, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Hongisto |
| Succeeded by | Mabel Teng |
| President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors | |
| In office January 8, 1990 – April 3, 1992 | |
| Preceded by | Harry Britt |
| Succeeded by | Kevin Shelley |
| Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors | |
| In office January 8, 1980 – April 3, 1992 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Gonzales |
| Succeeded by | Annemarie Conroy |
| Constituency | 7th district (1980–1981) At-large district (1981–1992) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 27, 1932 |
| Died | April 14, 2018 (aged 86) San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | |
Doris Margaret Ward (January 27, 1932 – April 14, 2018[1]) was an American politician. She was a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and was the first African-American president of the board. After her term on the board, she was appointed as assessor-recorder for the county of San Francisco.
Early life and education
Ward was born in Chicago, Illinois. Following the divorce of her parents, she was raised by her grandparents in Gary, Indiana. She studied at Indiana University where she earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in education.[2][3] During her college years, Ward was active the civil rights movement. She joined the NAACP and participated in sit-ins and protests against the Ku Klux Klan.[1][2]
In 1968, she moved to San Francisco. Sources differ about her education in San Francisco. She may have earned a doctorate in education from San Francisco State University (SFSU),[2] or a master's degree in counseling from SFSU[3] and a doctorate (either PhD or Ed.D.) from University of California, Berkeley.[3][4]
Career
Ward's political career started in 1972 when she was elected as a member of the board of trustees for the San Francisco Community College. She then was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1979 and became president of the board in 1990.[2][3] She was re-elected to the board four times.[5] During her tenure on the board, she advocated for rent control, additional police oversight and divestiture from apartheid South Africa.[3]
In 1987, Ward ran for United States House of Representatives in the seat of Caliornia's 5th congressional district that became open by the death of congresswoman Sala Burton.[6] She was eliminated in the primary election by Nancy Pelosi, who went on to win the general election.[7]
In 1992, she resigned from the board and was nominated as county assessor-recorder by Mayor Frank Jordan. She was re-elected twice, but lost the 2002 election after an FBI probe into allegations that she had awarded a no-bid contract to a political consultant who then produced a newsletter favorable to Ward's re-election bid. Ward was never charged with any crimes.[3][8]
References
- ^ a b "The Honorable Doris Ward". The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. October 14, 2005.
- ^ a b c d Chakraborty, Sudeepto (July 1, 2020). "DORIS WARD – Changemakers". USF Blogs.
- ^ a b c d e f Fagan, Kevin; Ravani, Sarah (April 19, 2018), "Doris Ward, first African American to lead SF Board of Supervisors, dies at 86", SFGATE
- ^ Sixty-two heroes and pioneers of the Western Addition (PDF). San Francisco, Calif.: San Francisco Redevelopment Agency. February 20, 2018. ISBN 978-1-378-28107-9. OCLC 1157234508.
- ^ "Former Supervisors". Board of Supervisors.
- ^ Gurwitt, Rob (February 7, 1987). "Special Election to Be Held To Fill Rep. Sala Burton's Seat". Congressional Quarterly. p. 242.
- ^ "Democrat Elected in San Francisco". The New York Times. June 3, 1987.
- ^ Williams, Lance; Finnie, Chuck (May 11, 2002), "Federal probe of assessor in S.F. / Doris Ward accused of funding campaign with taxpayer money", SFGATE
Further reading
- Holler, David; Sears, Stephanie (2019). Changemakers : African Americans in San Francisco who made a difference. San Francisco, CA: University of San Francisco. OCLC 1120938073.
External links
- "History Makers video oral history with The Honorable Doris Ward". The New York Public Library. October 14, 2005.