Jane Lawton

Jane Lawton (May 24, 1944 – November 29, 2007) was an American politician from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. The Jane E. Lawton community center, located in Leland Park in Chevy Chase, MD, was renamed in her memory on June 14, 2009.

Jane E Lawton
Mayor, Town of Chevy Chase
In office
1988–1991
Maryland House of Delegates
In office
2005–2007
Preceded byJohn Hurson
Succeeded byAlfred C. Carr, Jr.
ConstituencyDistrict 18, Montgomery County
Personal details
Born(1944-05-24)May 24, 1944
Muskogee, Oklahoma
DiedNovember 29, 2007(2007-11-29) (aged 63)
Ronald Reagan Building, Washington, D.C.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Stephan E. Lawton
Relationsbrother John Neil England
ChildrenKathleen and Stephanie
ResidenceChevy Chase, Maryland
OccupationMontgomery County Cable Administrator

Early life and education

Lawton was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma on May 24, 1944 to Clarence and Ruth Alice England.[1][2]

Lawton attended the University of Oklahoma where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa.[2]

Career

After college she worked briefly for IBM. She also worked as Special Assistant to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Carl Albert until the birth of her first child in 1974.[3] She became a member of the Town of Chevy Chase Town Council in 1981, later becoming treasurer, then Chairperson (this position is now referred to as the Mayor of the Town).[2] Later, she was Special Assistant to Neil Potter when he was County Executive of Montgomery County.[3] After Doug Duncan succeeded Potter, she became the County Cable Administrator.[1] In the State Legislature, she was originally appointed to fill the seat of former delegate John Hurson, but was elected in her own right in the fall of 2006.[3] She passed two bills during her brief time in office.[3] The following session, two more bills were passed in her name, one of which was a Farms-to-Schools program she had been working on the previous session and planned to introduce during the 2008 legislative session.[3] She also served on the Environmental Matters Committee while in the House.[3]

Legislative notes
  • voted for the Healthy Air Act in 2006 (SB154)[4]
  • voted in favor of increasing the sales tax by one percentage point to 6% - Tax Reform Act of 2007(HB2)[5]
  • voted in favor of in-state tuition for illegal immigrants in 2007 (HB6)[6]

Death

Lawton died of unknown causes on the morning of November 29, 2007 after giving a speech in downtown Washington.[3] She was declared dead at George Washington Hospital Center.[3] Her death appeared to be caused by a heart attack.[1][3]

Jane was a longtime member and past President of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA). In 2008, NATOA created and awarded the first Jane E. Lawton Commemorative Award, presented yearly to an elected official who exemplifies what it means to promote community interests in communications.

The Jane Lawton internship was created to honor her memory through the President's Leadership Class.[7]

References
  1. Rucker, Philip (2008-01-17). "For Delegates, A Fitting Time To Remember Jane Lawton". ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  2. "Jane Lawton - Obituary". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  3. Marimow, Ann; Rein, Lisa (30 November 2007). "Del. Lawton Dies After Speech at Symposium". The Washington Post.
  4. "2006 Regular Session - Vote Record 0942". Maryland General Assembly. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  5. "Maryland House of Delegates 2007 Special Session" (PDF). Maryland General Assembly.
  6. "2007 Regular Session - Vote Record 0690". Maryland General Assembly. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  7. "PLC Student Alumni". University of Oklahoma. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
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