:For the

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

, see ''

Clarke Reed Clarke Thomas Reed (born 1928) is an American businessman and politician from Greenville, Mississippi, Greenville, Mississippi, who was from 1966 to 1976 the state chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party. Reed was instrumental in the nominati ...

''. Gwyndolen Clarke-Reed (born October 24, 1940) was a Democratic member of the

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...

, representing the 92nd District, which includes northeastern

Broward County Broward County ( , ) is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with over 1.94 ...

, stretching from

Deerfield Beach Deerfield Beach is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States, just south of the Palm Beach County line. The city is named for the numerous deer that once roamed the area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 86,859. It is a principal ...

Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

, from 2008 to 2016, when she was term-limited.

History

Clarke-Reed was born in

Delray Beach Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population of Delray Beach as of April 1, 2020 was 66,846 according to the 2020 United States Census. Located 52 miles (83 kilometers) north of Miami, Delray Beach is in the ...

, but moved to

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, where she attended

New York City Community College The New York City College of Technology (City Tech) is a public college in New York City. Founded in 1946, it is the City University of New York's college of technology. History City Tech was founded in 1946 as The New York State Institute of ...

, graduating with an

Associate degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The fi ...

in 1968, and then

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls about 15,000 undergraduate and 2,800 graduate students on a 35-acre campus. Being New York City's first publ ...

, graduating with a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in 1973. She then attended

Adelphi University Adelphi University is a private university in Garden City, New York. Adelphi also has centers in Manhattan, Hudson Valley, and Suffolk County. There is also a virtual, online campus for remote students. It is the oldest institution of higher ed ...

, graduating with a

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in 1979, at which point she began working for the

New York City Department of Education The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's public school system. The City School District of the City of New York (or the New York City Public Schools) is t ...

as a teacher. Not long after starting her work as a teacher, she was elected to the New York City District 18 School Board, where she served from 1980 to 1983. Clarke-Reed ended her teaching career in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1985 and moved back to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, where she was elected as a

City Commissioner, serving from 1993 to 2005.

Florida House of Representatives

In 2008, following the inability of

State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

Jack Seiler John P. Seiler (born May 27, 1963) is an American politician and 41st Mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Prior to this he was a Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives, from 2000 to 2008 representing District 92 which is located ...

to seek re-election due to term limits, Clarke-Reed ran to succeed him in the 92nd District. She faced

Wilton Manors Wilton Manors is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 11,426. Wilton Manors is part of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to 6,166,488 people at the 2020 census. Histor ...

Mayor Scott Newton and accountant Mark J. LaFontaine in the Democratic primary, whom she defeated with 41% of the vote. She was elected unopposed in the general election. When she ran for re-election in 2010, she was opposed by

City Commissioner Justin Flippen in the Democratic primary, who attacked her for "accepting massive amounts of Republican money," to which Clarke-Reed responded, "You get contributions in campaigns from everywhere, from people who possibly have the same interests you have in a given issue." Ultimately, she defeated Flippen with 56% of the vote and was once again unopposed in the general election. When

districts were redrawn in 2012, Clarke-Reed remained in the 92nd District, which, though redrawn, included most of the territory that she had previously represented. In both the Democratic primary and the general election, she was unopposed and won her third term in the House entirely uncontested. While serving in the legislature, Clarke-Reed was the only legislator in her party to support legislation that would grant

Miami Children's Hospital Nicklaus Children's Hospital formerly known as Miami Children's Hospital is a hospital for children in South Florida. The hospital has 289 beds. It is affiliated with the FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, and ...

and

The Villages ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

"special exceptions to the state's process for determining if new hospital units, nursing homes or hospice centers are needed."

References

External links

Florida House of Representatives - Gwyndolen Clarke-ReedClarke-Reed for State House
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke-Reed, Gwyndolen 1940 births Living people Members of the Florida House of Representatives Women state legislators in Florida People from Deerfield Beach, Florida Brooklyn College alumni 21st-century American women