Mary E. Flowers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary Flowers
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| Member of the Illinois House of Representatives | |
| In office January 9, 1985 – January 8, 2025 |
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| Preceded by | James C. Taylor |
| Succeeded by | Michael Crawford |
| Constituency | 31st district (1985–1993, 2003–2025) 21st district (1993–2003) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 31, 1951 Inverness, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Daniel Coutee
(m. 1991; died 2019) |
| Education | Kennedy-King College University of Illinois, Chicago |
Mary E. Flowers (born July 31, 1951) is a former member of the Democratic Party who served in the Illinois House of Representatives. She was the longest-serving African-American lawmaker in Illinois history. Mary Flowers represented the 31st district from 1985 to 1993, then the 21st district from 1993 to 2003. She returned to represent the 31st district from 2003 until January 8, 2025.
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Mary Flowers' Early Life and Education
Mary Flowers was born on July 31, 1951, in Inverness, Mississippi. Her family moved to Chicago when she was a young child. She went to schools in Chicago. Later, she studied at Kennedy-King Community College and the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Mary Flowers' Political Career Highlights
Mary Flowers was first elected to the Illinois General Assembly in 1985. She served for 20 terms in the Illinois House of Representatives. This means she was a representative for 40 years! She also held a leadership role as a House Deputy Majority Leader.
In May 2023, Mary Flowers was removed from her leadership position. This happened after some disagreements with Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch. In 2024, Speaker Welch supported Michael Crawford, who ran against Flowers in the Democratic primary election. Crawford won that election.
Mary Flowers finished her time in the Illinois House of Representatives in January 2025. She served for forty years, which is the longest time any woman has served in the Illinois General Assembly.
How Mary Flowers Served in the Illinois House
During her many years in the Illinois House of Representatives, Mary Flowers worked on many different committees. These committees deal with various important topics and issues.
Her main focus in creating new laws was on health and the well-being of children. She helped pass laws about patients' rights, health insurance, and making sure hospitals and nursing homes had enough staff. She also worked on rules for doctors and dentists, and public health.
Mary Flowers supported the idea of universal health care, which means everyone would have access to health care. She often introduced laws and held public meetings to promote this idea.
She also cared a lot about the safety of children in foster care. This is a system where children are placed with other families when their own families cannot care for them. She worked to improve the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, which manages this system.
Mary Flowers received several awards for her work. In 1993, she was named "Legislator of the Year" by the Illinois Association for Behavioral Health Care.
Mary Flowers' Personal Life
Mary Flowers was married to Daniel Coutee. They had one daughter named Makeda. Daniel Coutee passed away in September 2019. Mary Flowers also has two grandchildren.
