Lucille Simmons Whipper (June 6, 1928 – August 27, 2021) was an American politician who served in the

South Carolina House of Representatives The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections. Unlike many legislatures, seati ...

from 1985 to 1995. She was the first Black woman to represent a

Charleston County Charleston County is located in the U.S. state of South Carolina along the Atlantic coast. As of the 2020 census, its population was 408,235, making it the third most populous county in South Carolina (behind Greenville and Richland counties). ...

seat in the legislature. She was also the first woman of color ever to be elected to the S.C. General Assembly. Born in Charleston, she was educated at

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, ...

, where she received 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 economics and sociology, and at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

, where she received 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 political science. In 1972, Whipper became

College of Charleston The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th oldest institution of higher learning in the Unit ...

's first African American administrator when she started her role as Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Human Relations. She developed the college's first affirmative action plan. Her son, Seth Whipper, was also a representative.

References

1928 births 2021 deaths 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians African-American state legislators in South Carolina African-American women in politics Politicians from Charleston, South Carolina Talladega College alumni University of Chicago alumni Democratic Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women {{SouthCarolina-politician-stub Women state legislators in South Carolina