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Jessie M. Rattley (1929-
) was the first African American elected to the Newport
News City Council. She served from 1970 to 1986 and from 1986 to
1990 was the first woman mayor of the city. Her long career in
municipal government paralleled the careers of many other
Virginia women in city and county government, on school boards,
and in other roles in Virginia politics. From 1975 to 1979 she
was a member of the board of directors of the National Municipal
League, and in 1979 she became the first African American and
the first woman to serve as president. Rattley was one of the
best-known Virginia government officials in the nation. She
served on numerous state and national study commissions,
received many awards, and in 1990 was a fellow of the Institute
of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at
Harvard University. Urban problems common to many other American
cities exist in Virginia cities, as well, and many women and
African Americans, who could not have served in those
responsible positions in the conditions under which Virginia
politics was formerly conducted, now serve on local governing
bodies throughout the state. |
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Photograph.
Courtesy Richmond Times-Dispatch |
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