Shirley Nathan-Pulliam (born May 20, 1939) is a former

American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bi ...

from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

and a member of the Democratic Party. Nathan-Pulliam resigned in 2019 due to poor health.

Background

Nathan-Pulliam was born in

Trelawny Trelawny or Trelawney may refer to: Places * Trelawny (electoral division), an electoral division of Cornwall * Trelawny, Black Hill, Ballarat, a heritage house in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia * Trelawny, Jamaica, a parish of Cornwall County, Jam ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...

on May 20, 1939. She studied

nursing Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...

at a number of schools before receiving her bachelor's degree in nursing from the

University of Maryland at Baltimore The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) is a public university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1807, it comprises some of the oldest professional schools of dentistry, law, medicine, pharmacy, social work and nursing in the United States ...

in 1980 and a master's degree in administrative science from the

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

in 1984. In addition to owning her own business, she has been a faculty associate in nursing for Johns Hopkins. Before being elected in 1994, Nathan-Pulliam was active with Democratic Party organizations at the state and national level, as well as with Planned Parenthood of Maryland and various professional nursing organizations. Nathan-Pulliam has received a number of awards for her advocacy on health care.

In the Legislature

Senator Nathan-Pulliam is currently serving in her first term in the

Maryland State Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single-m ...

, representing Maryland's 44th Legislative District located in parts of

Baltimore County Baltimore County ( , locally: or ) is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Maryland and is part of the Baltimore metropolitan area. Baltimore County (which partially surrounds, though does not include, the independent City ...

and

Baltimore City Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

. Nathan-Pulliam is a member of the Education Health and Environmental Affairs Committee. She previously served 20 years in the Maryland House of Delegates, serving as a Deputy Majority Whip and as a member of the Health and Government Operations Committee. She remains an active member of both the

Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, Inc. (also known as The Maryland Legislative Black Caucus) is an American political organization composed of African Americans elected to the Maryland General Assembly. Incorporated in 1970, the Caucus me ...

and of Women Legislators of Maryland.

Legislative notes

* voted for income tax reduction in 1998 (SB750) * voted in favor of increasing the sales tax whilst simultaneously reducing income tax rates for some income brackets - Tax Reform Act of 2007(HB2) * voted in favor of in-state tuition for individuals who are not permanent residents, under certain conditions - Higher Education -Tuition Charges -Maryland High School Students, 2007 (HB6)

Election results

1994 General election results District 10

::Voters to choose three: :

1998 General election results District 10

::Voters to choose three: :

2002 General election results District 10

::Voters to choose three: :

2006 General election results District 10

::Voters to choose three: :

2010 General election results District 10

::Voters to choose three: :

2014 General election results District 44

::Voters to choose one: :

2018 General election results District 44

::Voters to choose one: :

References

External links

* American politicians of Jamaican descent Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates Living people Women state legislators in Maryland 1939 births Johns Hopkins University alumni Jamaican emigrants to the United States People from Trelawny Parish 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Democratic Party Maryland state senators {{Maryland-politician-stub