Wilma Webb

Wilma J. Webb (born 1944 in Denver, Colorado) is an American politician who served as a member of the Colorado General Assembly from 1980 to 1993. She sponsored dozens of bills including school reform and equality initiatives. She is best known for sponsoring legislation that adopted Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday as a Colorado state holiday prior to it becoming the federal Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, and for her efforts to educate youth about King's legacy.[1][2]

Wilma Webb
First Lady of Denver
In office
July 15, 1991 – July 21, 2003
Preceded byEllen Hart Peña
Succeeded byHelen Thorpe
Member of the Colorado General Assembly
In office
1980–1993
Personal details
Born1944
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Spouse(s)Wellington Webb (m. 1969)
Children4
Alma materHarvard University

Early life and education

Webb was born to parents Faye and Frank Gerdine in Denver, Colorado in 1944. Webb attended the University of Colorado Denver without obtaining a degree.[3] As a state legislator, she attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 1988.[4]

Career

She married Wellington Webb in 1969. He later became the first African American Mayor of Denver, serving from 1991 to 2003.[5] She was the first First Lady of Denver to have held political office herself.[6]

During her time in the Colorado State Legislature, she became the first African-American member of the Legislature's Joint Budget Committee (the Legislature's most powerful six-member committee), helping write the state's $4 billion budget in 1981.

She has been recognized by several organizations including the National Education Association. She was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 1991.[7]

Personal life

She and her husband have four adult children. She is a member of Zion Baptist Church of Denver, Colorado, and of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.

References
  1. "Shun violence, Wilma Webb pleads". Denver Post. January 17, 1994. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  2. "King Day came early for Wilma Webb". Rocky Mountain News. January 18, 1983.
  3. www.blackpast.org
  4. "The Honorable Wilma J. Webb's Biography". The HistoryMakers. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
  5. "Wilma Webb biography". The History Makers. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  6. "Wilma Webb city's first First Lady with a resumé in politics". Denver Post. July 2, 1991. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  7. Colorado Women's Hall of Fame, Wilma J. Webb
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