Sarah A. Anderson (January 23, 1901 – December 9, 1992) was a Democratic member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

.Sarah A. Anderson
(biography). Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania House of Representatives, retrieved online July 12, 2019. An "advocate for the rights of children, minorities, women and the impaired during her 17 years in the state House of Representatives," according to her obituary, she was also "the first black woman to preside over the General Assembly and serve as chairwoman of the Health and Welfare Committee."Nicholson, Jim.
Sarah Anderson, 91; ex-PA representative
" Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: ''Philadelphia Daily News'', December 11, 1992.

Background

Born in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

, on January 25, 1901, Anderson was a daughter of Dr. Harry Anderson, the first practicing black dentist in Florida. She graduated from the Philadelphia High School for Girls and Philadelphia Normal School. Professionally, she then became an elementary school teacher in the Philadelphia public schools.

Public service and political career

A member of the 30th Ward Democratic Committee, she also served as an inspector for the Philadelphia Elections Board, as a member of the 44th Ward Executive Committee, as a judge for the 24th Division Election Board, as a member of District 1 of the Democratic Executive Committee, and as a legislative consultant for the

United States Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers a ...

. A Democrat, she was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 1955 term, serving for a total of nine consecutive terms. She became known as an "advocate for the rights of children, minorities, women and the impaired during her 17 years in the state House of Representatives," according to her obituary, and also became "the first black woman to preside over the General Assembly and serve as chairwoman of the Health and Welfare Committee, a post she held for four years." As chair of the Health and Welfare Committee in 1970, she was at the center of debates about legalizing abortion in Pennsylvania. In 1956, she was an alternate delegate to National Democratic Convention; in 1960, she was elected as a delegate to the National Democratic Convention. She then also served as an appointed member of the: Commission on Philadelphia School Charter, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women, Governor’s Council on Drugs, Governor’s Task Force on Human Services, and State Advisory Committee on Mental Health/Mental Retardation. She opted not to stand as a candidate for reelection to the House for its 1973 term, retiring instead in 1972.

Accomplishments and legacy

Anderson secured the passage of legislation which made

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services accessible in underserved communities via the use of mobile units, helped raise awareness regarding sickle cell anemia, helped secure the passage of legislation to increase funding for mental health treatment services, and supported efforts which helped improve the quality of life for blind and visually impaired residents across Pennsylvania. In 1963, she played a key role in the establishment of the junior college which ultimately became the

Community College of Philadelphia The Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) is a public community college with campuses throughout Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The college was founded in 1965 and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. It offers over 1 ...

. In 1965, she sponsored a fair housing bill. In 1972, she was honored by the Pennsylvania Commission on the Status of Women, for her sponsorship of the Pennsylvania Equal Rights Amendment and other efforts for women's rights in the state.

Death and interment

A resident of West Philadelphia during her final years, Anderson died on December 9, 1992, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was interred at the West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Adolphus W. Anderson, Sr., a podiatrist.

References

External links

Sarah Anderson's obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Sarah A. African-American state legislators in Pennsylvania Burials at West Laurel Hill Cemetery Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Women state legislators in Pennsylvania 1901 births 1992 deaths 20th-century American legislators 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century African-American women politicians 20th-century Pennsylvania politicians