Laura Boyd (born June 5, 1949) 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 ...

from Oklahoma. A member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, Boyd was elected in 1992 to the Oklahoma House of Representatives to represent District 44, which included Cleveland County. She served in the State House for six years until

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

when she became the first woman to receive a major party nomination for

Governor of Oklahoma The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The governor is the '' ex of ...

. Incumbent

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Governor

Frank Keating Francis Anthony Keating II (initially born as David Rowland Keating) (born February 10, 1944) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 25th governor of Oklahoma from 1995 to 2003. , Keating is one of only five governors in Okl ...

defeated Boyd in a landslide.

Eisenhower Fellowships Eisenhower Fellowships is a private, non-profit organization created in 1953 by a group of prominent American citizens to honor President Dwight D. Eisenhower for his contribution to humanity as a soldier, statesman, and world leader. The organiz ...

selected Laura Boyd as a USA Eisenhower Fellow in 1999.

Biography

Boyd was born in Charlottesville, Virginia. She earned 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 ...

from Duke University, a

master's 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.

from

Marywood University Marywood University is a private Catholic university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Established in 1915 by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Marywood currently enrolls more than 2,800 students in a variety of undergraduate, grad ...

, and a PhD in Psychology from American Commonwealth University. Boyd served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1993 to 1998 and chaired the Community and Family Responsibilities Committee. She introduced 11 bills while in the House, three of which were signed into law. Boyd sponsored legislation to help create jobs in Oklahoma, to crack down on elder abuse, and to establish the College Savings Plan. In 1998 Boyd became the first woman to be nominated for Governor of Oklahoma when she won the nomination of the Oklahoma Democratic Party. She received 41% of the votes and was defeated by Republican

. In 2002 Boyd was the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma but was defeated by Republican

Mary Fallin Mary Fallin (; née Copeland; born December 9, 1954) is an American politician who served as the 27th governor of Oklahoma from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, she was elected in 2010 and reelected in 2014. She was the first and s ...

. Boyd has taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. She has offered private counseling for over 20 years. She is owner and CEO of Policy and Performance Consultants Inc. in

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

, as well as national field director of Women Legislators' Lobby and executive director of the Oklahoma Therapeutic Foster Care Association. In 2011 she was inducted into the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame.

Major legislation

The Ryan Luke Act, which cracks down on child abuse and sexual predators, was Boyd's major legislative contribution.

References

External links

2005-2006 Oklahoma Almanac Online--Oklahoma History

Women of the Oklahoma Legislature Oral History Project--OSU Library

Historic House Membership
Oklahoma House of Representatives. , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Boyd, Laura 1949 births 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Candidates in the 1998 United States elections Candidates in the 2002 United States elections Duke University alumni Living people Marywood University alumni 20th-century Members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Politicians from Charlottesville, Virginia Women state legislators in Oklahoma