Preceded by Pauline Anderson Preceded by Barbara Roberts Children 7 | Succeeded by Hank Miggins Succeeded by Earl Blumenauer Spouse William McCoy | |
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Born February 28, 1928
Atlanta, Georgia, United States ( 1928-02-28 ) Died 11 April 1993, Portland, Oregon, United States Residence Portland, Oregon, United States Education Talladega College, Portland State University | ||
Gladys McCoy (February 28, 1928 – April 11, 1993) was an American politician who was the first African American elected to public office in the state of Oregon.
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Biography
McCoy was born in 1928 in Atlanta, Georgia. She graduated from Talladega College in Talladega, Alabama, with a bachelor's degree in sociobiology. In 1967, she graduated with a master's degree in social work from Portland State University.
McCoy was elected to the board of the Portland Public Schools in 1970, becoming the first black person elected to public office in Oregon, and serving until 1978. Her husband Bill was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 1972. McCoy was elected to the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners in 1978, resigning in 1984 to unsuccessfully run for the Portland City Council. She successfully ran for county chair in 1986, serving until her death from thyroid cancer on April 11, 1993.
The McCoys had seven children.
Legacy
McCoy Park in Portland is named for Bill and Gladys McCoy. The Dream, a sculpture of Martin Luther King Jr. in Portland, is dedicated to them as well.
In 2016, Multnomah County relocated its health department to a new building named after McCoy.