Mary Lou Parks (July 24, 1939August 23, 2015) was a

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

politician.

Early life

Parks was born on July 24, 1939 in

Anderson, South Carolina Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 28,106 at the 2020 census, and the city was the center of an urbanized area of 75,702. It is one of the principal cities in the Green ...

Education

Parks attended

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

Career

Parks was executive assistant to U.S. Congressman George Crockett Jr. from 1975 to 1983. Parks was the special assistant

Michigan Governor The governor of Michigan, is the head of government of Michigan and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws; the power to either approve or veto appropriation bills passed b ...

James Blanchard James Johnston Blanchard (born August 8, 1942) is an American retired attorney, diplomat, and politician who served as the 45th governor of Michigan from 1983 to 1991. A member of the Democratic Party, Blanchard previously served in the Unite ...

from 1983 to 1990. State representative Joseph F. Young Sr. died on April 9, 1993, sparking a special election to fill his vacancy. On June 29, 1993, Parks won this special election. She was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives where she represented the 3rd district from July 1, 1993 to 1998. Parks ran in the 1998 Michigan Secretary of State election, but was defeated by

Candice Miller Candice Sue Miller ( née McDonald; born May 7, 1954) is an American politician serving as the Public Works Commissioner of Macomb County, Michigan since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, Miller previously served as the U.S. representati ...

. Parks was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention from Michigan in 1976, 1980, and 1988. Parks was an alternate delegate to Democratic National Convention in 1984 and 2004.

Personal life

Parks was divorced and had five children. Parks was a member of the NAACP.

Death

Ferguson died on August 23, 2015.

References

1939 births 2015 deaths People from Anderson, South Carolina Wayne State University alumni Women state legislators in Michigan African-American women in politics African-American state legislators in Michigan Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century American politicians {{Michigan-politician-stub