Gladys McCoy (February 28, 1928 – April 11, 1993) was an American politician who was the first

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

elected to public office in the state of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

Biography

McCoy was born in 1928 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She graduated from

Talladega College Talladega College is a private historically black college in Talladega, Alabama. It is Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, ...

Talladega, Alabama Talladega (, also ) is the county seat of Talladega County, Alabama, United States. It was incorporated in 1835. At the 2020 census, the population was 15,861. Talladega is approximately east of one of the state’s biggest cities, Birmingham. ...

, with a bachelor's degree in

sociobiology Sociobiology is a field of biology that aims to examine and explain social behavior in terms of evolution. It draws from disciplines including psychology, ethology, anthropology, evolution, zoology, archaeology, and population genetics. Within t ...

. In 1967, she graduated with a master's degree in social work from

Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the following two decades ...

. McCoy was elected to the board of the Portland Public Schools in 1970, becoming the first black person elected to public office in Oregon, and serving until 1978. Her husband

Bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

was elected to the

Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 65,000. The House meets in the west wing of the ...

in 1972. McCoy was elected to the

Multnomah County Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland–Vancouver– Hillsboro, OR–WA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Thou ...

Board of Commissioners in 1978, resigning in 1984 to unsuccessfully run for the Portland City Council. She successfully ran for county chair in 1986, serving until her death from thyroid cancer on April 11, 1993. The McCoys had seven children.

Legacy

McCoy Park in Portland is named for Bill and Gladys McCoy. '' The Dream'', a sculpture of

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

in Portland, is dedicated to them as well. The Gladys McCoy Award was established in 1994. The award is given to an individual who has exemplified the life of the late Multnomah County Chair Gladys McCoy by making major contributions to civil rights, human rights, affirmative action, children and youth, family issues, community, neighborhood, local political party, local government, environmental issues, and/or education. The McCoy Award is presented annually by the Multnomah County Community Involvement Committee to somebody with outstanding lifetime volunteer service dedicated to improving the county community. Winners' names appear on permanent public display in the Multnomah County Boardroom. In 2019, Multnomah County relocated its health department to a new building named after McCoy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCoy, Gladys 1928 births 1993 deaths African-American people in Oregon politics African-American women in politics Multnomah County Commissioners Politicians from Portland, Oregon Talladega College alumni Deaths from cancer in Oregon Deaths from thyroid cancer Portland State University alumni 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century American politicians African-American history of Oregon 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American politicians