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Harriet Elizabeth Byrd

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Harriet Elizabeth Byrd
Member of the Wyoming Senate
from the 8th district
In office
1989 – January 14, 1993
Preceded byMulti-member district
Succeeded byCynthia Lummis
Member of the Wyoming House of Representatives
from the 44th district
In office
1981–1989
Preceded byMulti-member district
Succeeded byMulti-member district
Personal details
Born
Harriet Elizabeth Rhone

(1926-04-20)April 20, 1926
Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S.
DiedJanuary 27, 2015(2015-01-27) (aged 88)
Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
James W. Byrd
​
​
(m. 1947; died 2005)​
Children3, including James W. Byrd
EducationWest Virginia State College (BA)
University of Wyoming (MA)

Harriet Elizabeth Byrd (April 20, 1926 – January 27, 2015) was an American politician and educator from Wyoming who was the first African-American elected to the Wyoming Legislature.

Early life

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Byrd's father Robert C. Rhone as a member of a basketball team in high school in 1922.

Harriet Elizabeth Rhone was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on April 20, 1926, to Robert C. Rhone and Sudie Smith Rhone. Her grandfather, Charles J. Rhone, came to Wyoming in 1876. She graduated from Cheyenne High School in 1944. She graduated from West Virginia State University with a bachelor of arts in education in 1949, and the University of Wyoming with a master of arts in education in 1976.[1][2][3]

Byrd applied to teach at the Laramie County School District, but was rejected due to her being black. She worked as a teacher at the Francis E. Warren Air Force Base for ten years. She was hired by the Laramie County School District in 1959, and taught for twenty-seven years.[1] She was the first fully certified full-time black teacher in Wyoming.[4] Byrd was a member of the Wyoming State Advisory Council for Title III for seven years and chair of the Cheyenne Civic Center Advisory Board.[5]

In 1946, Byrd met James Byrd at the Francis E. Warren Air Force Base while attempting to buy drinks.[4] She married James Byrd, with whom she had three children. James was an U.S. Marshal and chief of police in Cheyenne, the first black person to hold that title, under five mayors. Her son, James W. Byrd, served in the Wyoming House of Representatives from the same district she served from.[6][1]

Career

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Byrd was elected to the state house from the 44th district in 1980, becoming the first black woman to serve in the Wyoming state legislature. She served in the state house for eight years before her elected to the Wyoming Senate.[6][1][7][8]

In 1988, Byrd and James Applegate won the Democratic nomination for the two senate seats from Laramie while incumbent Alvin Wiederspahn lost.[9][10] She spent $1,094 during the primary campaign.[11] She was redistricted to the 5th district and[12] lost reelection to Republican nominee Cynthia Lummis in the 1992 election.[13] Byrd raised and spent $1,691 in the primary and $8,187 in the general election against the $10,662 spent by Lummis.[14]

During her tenure in the state house she was a member of the Transportation and Highways, and the Education, Health and Welfare committees.[15][16] During her tenure in the state senate she served on the Education committee.[17] In 1987, she tied with Lauris Tysdal and placed behind Dan S. Budd for worst state legislator in the 49th session.[18] She supported Jesse Jackson during the 1988 Democratic presidential primaries[19] and attended the 1992 Democratic National Convention as an uncommitted delegate.[20]

Chuck Graves, the chair of the Wyoming Democratic Party, talked to Byrd about running for a seat in the United States Senate in the 1990 election against incumbent Republican Senator Alan Simpson.[21]

Later life

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Byrd retired from teaching in 1997. Her husband died in 2005, and she died in Cheyenne on January 27, 2015.[1][4][22]

Political positions

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Byrd was endorsed by the AFL-CIO in the 1980, 1984, and 1988 elections.[23][24][25] She called for the creation of a holiday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. at the state level.[26] In 1987, Byrd and state senator Dick Schmidt proposed legislation to place a referendum for the creation of a statewide lottery system onto the ballot.[27]

Electoral history

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1986 Wyoming House of Representatives Laramie County election[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Harriet Elizabeth Byrd (incumbent) 14,985 8.39%
Democratic Lynn Birleffi 13,849 7.75%
Republican Cynthia Lummis (incumbent) 12,519 7.01%
Democratic Guy Cameron 12,416 6.95%
Democratic Steve Freudenthal 12,103 6.78%
Democratic Shirley Humphrey 11,817 6.62%
Democratic Mary Kay Schwope 11,243 6.29%
Republican Bill McIlvain (incumbent) 10,874 6.09%
Republican Ellen Crowley 10,710 6.00%
Republican Gary Yordy 10,619 5.95%
Republican April Brimmer Kunz 10,604 5.94%
Democratic Robert Larson 8,386 4.70%
Democratic Carolyn G. Johnson 7,959 4.46%
Democratic Charles A. Hunter 6,806 3.81%
Republican Ben Zavorka 6,522 3.65%
Republican Lou Mandis 5,969 3.34%
Republican Ron G. Pretty 5,752 3.22%
Republican Mary Jean McDowell Baker 5,475 3.07%
Total votes 178,608 100.00%
1992 Wyoming Senate 5th district election[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Cynthia Lummis 3,434 52.86%
Democratic Harriet Elizabeth Byrd (incumbent) 3,062 47.14%
Total votes 6,496 100.00%

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Harriet Elizabeth "Liz" Byrd (1926- )". BlackPast.org. November 8, 2009. Archived from the original on September 28, 2024.
  2. ^ "UW Profiles Harriet Elizabeth "Liz" Byrd". University of Wyoming. Archived from the original on January 12, 2019.
  3. ^ "Byrd". Casper Star-Tribune. January 29, 2015. p. A2. Archived from the original on September 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c Van Pelt, Lori (May 24, 2015). "Liz Byrd, First Black Woman in Wyoming's Legislature". Wyoming Historical Society. Archived from the original on September 28, 2024.
  5. ^ "Cheyenne teacher will seek House post". Casper Star-Tribune. June 18, 1980. p. C3. Archived from the original on September 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b "Woman to be first black in House". Casper Star-Tribune. November 7, 1980. p. B1. Archived from the original on September 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "1986 primary". Casper Star-Tribune. August 21, 1986. p. 15. Archived from the original on July 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b "1986 election". Casper Star-Tribune. November 6, 1986. p. 13. Archived from the original on July 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Applegate's credibility campaign edges Wiederspahn". Casper Star-Tribune. August 17, 1988. p. A1. Archived from the original on September 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Wiederspahn defeated in Laramie". Casper Star-Tribune. August 17, 1988. p. B1. Archived from the original on September 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "State House candidates race to prime time". Casper Star-Tribune. November 2, 1988. p. A8. Archived from the original on September 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Senate Terms". Casper Star-Tribune. February 27, 1992. p. A5. Archived from the original on September 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ a b "1992 election results". Casper Star-Tribune. November 5, 1992. p. 13. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Senate District 5". Casper Star-Tribune. January 12, 1993. p. D5. Archived from the original on September 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "State House Committees give legislators assignments". Casper Star-Tribune. December 9, 1980. p. A10. Archived from the original on September 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Democrats select new leadership". Casper Star-Tribune. November 18, 1984. p. B1. Archived from the original on September 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Senate Democrats pick Prevedel, Fanos as new legislative leaders". Casper Star-Tribune. December 11, 1990. p. B1. Archived from the original on September 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "The 10 worst legislators". Casper Star-Tribune. March 8, 1987. p. A1. Archived from the original on September 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Dukakis enjoys delegate edge". Billings Gazette. May 8, 1988. p. 3C. Archived from the original on September 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Wyoming Democrats conclude convention with short platform". Casper Star-Tribune. May 4, 1992. p. B1. Archived from the original on September 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Bebout considering challenge to Simpson". Casper Star-Tribune. April 25, 1990. p. 1. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "First black woman in Legislature dies". Casper Star-Tribune. January 29, 2015. p. A1. Archived from the original on September 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Union backs candidate". Casper Star-Tribune. October 23, 1980. p. B1. Archived from the original on September 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "AFL-CIO endorses McFadden, ignores Senate". Casper Star-Tribune. September 23, 1984. p. B1. Archived from the original on September 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "State union endorses candidates". Billings Gazette. August 30, 1988. p. 4D. Archived from the original on September 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "Byrd urges Wyoming to honor the Rev. King". Casper Star-Tribune. January 14, 1986. p. B1. Archived from the original on September 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "Legislators seek statewide lottery". Jackson Hole News&Guide. November 4, 1987. p. 35. Archived from the original on September 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
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