Dorothy H. Wilken (born 1936) is an American

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 ...

and former clerk of courts. Wilken was a major proponent for the annexation of the community of University Park into the larger city of Boca Raton, Florida, during the early 1970s. She later served as the first female Mayor of Boca Raton and a

Palm Beach County Palm Beach County is a county located in the southeastern part of Florida and lies directly north of Broward County and Miami-Dade County. The county had a population of 1,492,191 as of the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous county ...

commissioner. Wilken was born in

Annville Township, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania Annville Township is a township and census-designated place in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. The population was 4,767 at the 2010 census. History Annville Township was divided into North Annville Township and South Annville Township in 1845 ...

. In 1965, she moved to Boca Raton, Florida, to take a job with

Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, and satellite campuses in Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, and Fort Pierce. FAU belongs to the 12-ca ...

. She graduated from Emma Willard School, Troy NY and George Washington University Columbian College in Washington, DC and earned her MPA at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton FL. Wilken, a resident of the former town of University Park, Florida, during the early 1970s, was a strong proponent for the annexation of the smaller town into the city of Boca Raton. Residents of Boca Raton and University Park approved the merger in a

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

held on July 27, 1971. Wilken only the second woman to serve of the Boca Raton city council. Boca Raton city meeting minutes and the Boca Raton Historical Society indicate that another woman, Floy Mitchell, had previously served briefly on the council. In March 1976, the Boca Raton city council elected Wilken as the city's mayor. She was the first woman to serve as Mayor of Boca Raton. She served as Mayor from March 1976 to February 1977, and again, briefly, during April 1977 following the resignation of Mayor Dick Houpana, who resigned just one month into his second term. The city established park impact fees and purchased the South Inlet Beach during Wilken's tenure. She also founded the Citizens for Reasonable Growth. Dorothy Wilken was later elected as a

commissioner, first elected in 1982, and a clerk of courts in 1992, retiring in 2005.

References

County commissioners in Florida Mayors of Boca Raton, Florida Florida city council members Women city councillors in Florida Women mayors of places in Florida 1936 births Living people People from Lebanon County, Pennsylvania 21st-century American women {{Florida-mayor-stub

See also

References