Gwendolyn Faison facts for kids

Gwendolyn A. Faison (born February 14, 1925 – died July 10, 2021) was an American politician from the Democratic Party. She made history as the Mayor of Camden, New Jersey from 2000 to 2010.

Gwendolyn Faison was the first woman to serve as Camden's mayor. She was also the first African-American woman to lead the Camden City Council as its president. She first became mayor when the previous mayor, Milton Milan, left office in 2000.

Faison had been the City Council President since 1997. She won elections to keep her mayoral position in 2001 and 2005. She decided not to run for a third term and left office in January 2010.

Early Life and Education

Gwendolyn Faison was born and grew up in Clinton, North Carolina. Her father was a minister, and she was the fifth of nine children in her family.

She went to several universities, including Shaw University, Temple University, and Rutgers University. Before becoming a full-time politician, Faison worked as a retired data processing administrator.

Starting in Politics

Faison began her political career when she was first elected to the Camden City Council in 1983. She also served on the Camden County Board on Aging.

She lost her council seat in 1995 but was elected back to the city council in 1997. At that time, she became the president of the city council.

Becoming Mayor of Camden

Gwendolyn Faison was sworn in as Mayor of Camden on December 22, 2000. She became the city's first female mayor. This happened after the previous mayor, Milton Milan, stepped down from his position.

She served the rest of Milan's term, which ended in June 2001.

Faison then won her first full term as mayor in an election on May 8, 2001. This made her the first woman to be elected mayor of Camden. She officially started her full term on July 1, 2001.

She won a second term in 2005. In this election, she defeated New Jersey Assemblywoman Nilsa Cruz-Perez.

Challenges and Later Years

In November 2006, some community members wanted to hold a special election to remove Faison from office. They felt that the mayor had not paid enough attention to the city's Latino neighborhoods. They also raised concerns about fairness in the city's fire department.

Mayor Faison was a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition. This group includes mayors from different political parties. Their goal is to make communities safer by reducing illegal guns.

In February 2009, Faison announced that she would not seek a third term as mayor. She supported New Jersey state Senator Dana Redd to be the next mayor. Dana Redd won the election in 2009 and took over from Faison.

Gwendolyn Faison passed away on July 10, 2021, in Camden, New Jersey. She was 96 years old.

See also

• List of first women mayors in the United States