Paula Hicks-Hudson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paula Hicks-Hudson
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| Member of the Ohio Senate from the 11th district |
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| Assumed office November 16, 2022 |
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| Preceded by | Teresa Fedor |
| Member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the 44th District |
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| In office January 7, 2019 – November 16, 2022 |
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| Preceded by | Michael Ashford |
| Succeeded by | Elgin Rogers Jr. |
| 63rd Mayor of Toledo | |
| In office February 1, 2015 – January 2, 2018 |
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| Preceded by | D. Michael Collins |
| Succeeded by | Wade Kapszukiewicz |
| Member of the Toledo City Council from 4th district |
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| In office January 2011 – February 1, 2015 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Paula Hicks
May 28, 1951 Hamilton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Freeman Hudson |
| Children | Patricia and Leah Hudson |
| Alma mater | Spelman College (BA) Colorado State University (MA) University of Iowa (JD) |
| Website | https://paulahickshudson.com/ |
Paula S. Hicks-Hudson (born May 28, 1951) is an American politician. She currently serves as a member of the Ohio Senate for the 11th district. She has held this important role since 2022. Before becoming a state senator, she was the Mayor of Toledo, Ohio.
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Early Life and Education
Paula Hicks-Hudson was born in Hamilton, Ohio. She went to college and earned several degrees. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Spelman College. Later, she earned a Master of Arts degree from Colorado State University. Finally, she completed her law degree, a Juris Doctor, from the University of Iowa College of Law.
Political Career
Before entering politics, Paula Hicks-Hudson became a lawyer in 1982. She worked in areas like business law, education law, and social security.
Serving on the Toledo City Council
In 2011, Paula Hicks-Hudson was chosen to join the Toledo City Council. She represented the 4th district. This happened after Michael Ashford left the seat to join the Ohio General Assembly. She then won special and general elections in 2011 to keep her seat. In 2013, her fellow council members voted for her to become the council President. This was after Joe McNamara resigned.
Becoming Mayor of Toledo
While she was the Toledo City Council President, something unexpected happened. The mayor at the time, Mike Collins, became very ill. Paula Hicks-Hudson was sworn in as acting mayor. She served in this role for a few days. When Mayor Collins sadly passed away, she officially became the Mayor of Toledo.
This was a very important moment for Toledo. Paula Hicks-Hudson became only the second woman to lead the city. Even more special, she was the first African American woman to serve as mayor of Toledo.
Mayoral Elections
To fill the rest of the mayoral term, Toledo held a special election in November 2015. Paula Hicks-Hudson announced she would run for the position on March 18, 2015. She won this special election on November 3, 2015. This allowed her to finish the term.
However, when she ran for re-election on November 7, 2017, she did not win. She lost to fellow Democrat Wade Kapszukiewicz, who was the Lucas County Treasurer.
Ohio State Senator
After her time as mayor, Paula Hicks-Hudson continued her public service. She was elected to the Ohio Senate in 2022. She now represents the 11th district of Ohio.
