Augusta Clark facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Augusta Clark
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Member of the Philadelphia City Council from the At-Large District | |
| In office 1980–2000 |
|
| Preceded by | ? |
| Succeeded by | Blondell Reynolds Brown |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 5, 1932 Uniontown, Alabama |
| Died | October 13, 2013 (aged 81) Wynnewood, Pennsylvania |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | Temple University Drexel University West Virginia State College |
Augusta "Gussie" Clark (March 5, 1932 – October 13, 2013) was an important American leader. She was a librarian, a lawyer, and a politician. Clark made history when she was elected to the Philadelphia City Council in 1979. She was only the second African-American woman to serve on the council. (The first was Ethel D. Allen, who served from 1972 to 1979.) Clark worked on the Philadelphia City Council from 1980 until she retired in 2000.
Contents
Augusta Clark's Life
Early Years
Augusta Alexander was born on March 5, 1932, in Uniontown, Alabama. Her parents were Harrison and Lula B. Alexander. She grew up in Fairmont, West Virginia. She earned her first college degree from West Virginia State College. This school is now called West Virginia State University.
Augusta met Leroy W. Clark while they were both students at West Virginia State. They later married in 1960, after they had both moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They had two children, Mark and Adrienne. Augusta moved to Philadelphia after college for her career. She was a member of the Bright Hope Baptist Church for many years.
Her Career Path
Clark first moved to Philadelphia to work as an assistant for a magazine called Color. This magazine was like Life magazine but was made for African-American readers. However, Color magazine soon closed down.
After the magazine closed, Clark went back to school. She studied at Drexel University and earned a master's degree in library science. She then worked as a librarian in Philadelphia. Later, when she was 39 years old, Clark decided to study law. She went to the Temple University Beasley School of Law and became a lawyer.
Entering Politics
Clark helped with the election campaign of William H. Gray. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1978. After this, people in Philadelphia encouraged her to run for a seat on the Philadelphia City Council.
In 1979, Augusta Clark was elected as a Democratic councilwoman. She won an "at-large" seat, which means she represented the entire city. This made her only the second African-American woman to serve on the city council.
Work on the City Council
Augusta Clark served on the Philadelphia City Council from 1980 to 2000. She was a strong voice for public education. For twelve years, she led the council's Education Committee. She was a big supporter of the School District of Philadelphia.
Clark did not support school vouchers. She believed that this program would take money away from public schools. She worked with the City Council President, John F. Street, to create a 10% tax on liquor sales. This tax helped bring in more money for public schools. Clark also led the Public Property and Public Works Committee. For a time, she was the Democratic majority whip for the city council. This meant she helped lead the Democratic members.
Clark retired from the city council in 2000. She felt it was the right time to leave. She said that being in elected office is like playing poker. You need to know when to keep going and when to stop. She felt she had done enough good work.
Augusta Clark passed away on October 13, 2013, at Lankenau Medical Center in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. She was 81 years old. She was survived by her two children, Mark and Adrienne, and four grandchildren. Her husband, Leroy W. Clark, had passed away in 2007.
See also
In Spanish: Augusta Clark para niños
