Early life, education, and career
Victoria "Vikki" Buckley was born November 2, 1947 in Denver, Colorado, to Charles and Rubye Bell Buckley. Raised in the Park Hill neighborhood, Buckley graduated from East High School and earned an associate degree in drafting. Buckley began working in the Secretary of State's office as a clerk-typist in 1974, working in the different divisions of the department and being appointed to the position of deputy Secretary of State.Political career
Buckley announced her candidacy for Colorado Secretary of State following the news of incumbent Natalie Meyer choosing to retire and was a surprise winner in the Republican party primary elections over three other candidates: Denver election commissioner Sandy Adams, state party vice chairman Mary Dambman, and congressional staffer Connie Solomon. In the general election, Buckley challenged Democratic candidate Sherrie Wolf and Constitution Party candidate Douglas Campbell; Daniel Brewer Ward, who had been a candidate in the Democratic primary, was a write-in candidate. Buckley won the election with over 57% of the vote and became the first black woman in Colorado to hold a statewide office. Buckley quickly began making changes in the Secretary of State's office after being sworn in. A performance audit ordered by the state legislature during that year showed a significant level of employee turnover. The high number of unfilled positions in the department led to two statewide initiatives being added to the ballot by default because the deadline to complete the review for addition to the ballot passed before all of the petition signatures could be reviewed. Another initiative, which would permit marijuana use, was ordered onto the ballot after the initiative's backers sued, claiming their petitions were improperly denied. Buckley did not face any opposition in the 1998 Republican party primary elections. In the general election, Buckley challenged Democratic candidate Ric Bainter, Libertarian Party candidate Geoffrey Lloyd, Reform Party candidate Patricia Craven, Constitution Party candidate Clyde Harkins, and Natural Law Party candidate Rolland Fraser. Buckley won the election with over 49% of the vote. The same day Buckley was sworn into office for her second term, she sought medical attention for heart issues. She was treated for anPersonal life
Buckley had three sons, who she raised largely as a single parent. On July 13, 1999, Buckley was found collapsed in her Denver home by her estranged husband, Todd Newsome, and was transported toSee also
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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Buckley, Victoria 1947 births 1999 deaths Secretaries of State of Colorado African-American people in Colorado politics African-American women in politics Colorado Republicans Politicians from Denver Women in Colorado politics 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians