Laura A. Brown (née Penn; 1874–1924) was an American activist and local politician.[1] She was the first African-American to run for the state legislature in Pennsylvania.[2]
Laura A. Brown | |
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| Born | Laura Penn November 8, 1874 Gettysburg, Pennsylvania |
| Died | 1924 |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | first African-American to run for state legislature in Pennsylvania |
Personal life
editBrown was born Laura Penn on November 8, 1874, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. She married George Brown at a young age. They lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and had one daughter.[1]
Public life
editBrown was an active member of the Pennsylvania Federation of Colored Women's Clubs and her church choir.[1]
During World War I, Brown led a war savings stamp campaign that allowed individual citizens to help fund the U.S. war effort.[2] Later, during Warren G. Harding's presidential campaign, Brown became a member of the executive board of the Republican Women's Committee of Allegheny County and the Republican Council of Women of the City-County Federation of Allegheny.[1][2]
In 1922, Brown became the first African-American to run for state legislature in Pennsylvania as a candidate for the First District in Allegheny County. She did not win election.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Hallie Q. Brown (1988). Homespun Heroines and Other Women of Distinction. Oxford University Press, USA. pp. 237–8. ISBN 978-0-19-976309-2.
- ^ a b c d LaVonne Leslie (2012). The History of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs, Inc.: A Legacy of Service. Xlibris Corporation. p. 132. ISBN 978-1-4797-2265-5.
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