Gilda Z. Jacobs (born April 1, 1949) was a Democratic member of the

Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...

, representing the 14th district from 2003 through 2010. The mostly suburban district is in southeastern

Oakland County Oakland County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Metro Detroit, metropolitan Detroit area, located northwest of the city. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 Census, its population was 1, ...

, and includes the cities of Farmington Hills, Huntington Woods, Southfield, and Oak Park. Jacobs was a member of the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

from 1999 to 2002. She currently serves as president and CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy. In 2019 she was inducted into the

Michigan Women's Hall of Fame The Michigan Women's Hall of Fame (MWHOF) honors distinguished women, both historical and contemporary, who have been associated with the U.S. state of Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regi ...

Early life

Senator Jacobs graduated from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, received her bachelor's degree in science with a distinction in education in 1970 and a master's degree in behavioral sciences in education in 1971. She was a special education teacher in the Madison School District until the late 1980s.

Political career

Jacobs was the first woman elected to the Huntington Woods City Commission, serving from 1981 to 1994. She was the mayor pro tem of Huntington Woods in 1993–1994, and served as Oakland County Commissioner from 1995 to 1998. She was elected to the

Michigan State House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 U ...

in 1998, where she served for two terms. She represented the 35th district, which includes most of the city of Southfield. While in the House, she made history by being the first female floor leader in either House of the legislature. In 2002, she ran for the open state senate seat being vacated by Senator

Gary Peters Gary Charles Peters Sr. (born December 1, 1958) is an American lawyer, politician, and former military officer serving as the junior United States senator from Michigan since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representativ ...

. She won in a landslide in the heavily Democratic 14th district. She served as the chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus. She was the vice-chair of the Economic Development, Small Business & Regulatory Reform Committee and the Families and Human Services Committee, and also served on Government Operations and Health Policy Committees. There was early speculation that Jacobs might challenge Rep.

Joe Knollenberg Joseph Kastl Knollenberg (November 28, 1933 – February 6, 2018) was an American politician from Michigan. From 1993 to 2009, he was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing and . In his congressional term, Knol ...

, but she decided against it and endorsed her predecessor in the State Senate,

. Due to Michigan's term limits, Jacobs was not eligible to run for re-election in 2010, and she was succeeded by Vincent Gregory, a Democrat from Southfield.

Personal life

Jacobs and her husband, John, have one living daughter. Another daughter,

Rachel Rachel () was a Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban. Her older sister was Leah, Jacob's first wife. Her aun ...

, was killed in the

2015 Philadelphia train derailment On May 12, 2015, an Amtrak ''Northeast Regional'' train from Washington, D.C. bound for New York City derailed and wrecked on the Northeast Corridor near the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Of 238 passengers and 5 crew on ...

. In 2003, the

Democratic Leadership Council The Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) was founded in 1985 and closed in 2011. Founded and directed by Al From, prominent members include Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton (who was elected president in 1992 and 1996), Delaware Senator Joe Biden (e ...

named her one of the 100 New Democrats to Watch, a list of up-and-coming Democratic politicians. She is a member of

Triangle Foundation Equality Michigan is an American civil rights, advocacy and anti-violence organization serving Michigan's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Equality Michigan serves Michigan's LGBT community through victims services, lobb ...

's Board of Advisors.Triangle Foundation website
; accessed November 6, 2014.

Electoral history

*2006 Election for the Michigan State Senate - 14th District *2002 Election for the Michigan State Senate - 14th District *2000 Election for the Michigan State House - 35th District *1998 Election for the Michigan State House - 35th District

References

External links

Project Vote Smart - Senator Gilda Z. Jacobs (MI)
profile *''Follow the Money'' - Gilda Z. Jacobs
200620042002
Senate campaign contributions
200220001998
House campaign contributions
Gilda Jacobs' profile
Michigan Senate Democratic Caucus; accessed November 6, 2014.
SD14 Incumbent Gilda Z. Jacobs (D-Huntington Woods) profile
MichiganLiberal.com; accessed November 6, 2014.
Sen. Jacobs: It's Time to Lift Michigan's Ban on Stem Cell Research
BloggingforMichigan.com; accessed November 6, 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobs, Gilda 1949 births Living people Democratic Party Michigan state senators Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives University of Michigan alumni Jewish American state legislators in Michigan Women state legislators in Michigan People from Huntington Woods, Michigan Place of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American women