Franklin, Shirley (1945–)

views updated

Franklin, Shirley (1945–)

African-American politician. Name variations: Shirley Clarke Franklin. Born 1945 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Howard University, BA in sociology; University of Pennsylvania, MA in sociology; children: 3.

Elected mayor of Atlanta, Georgia (2001), the 1st black woman to lead a major Southern city; began career as the city's commissioner of Cultural Affairs (1978); appointed chief administration officer (city manager), then executive officer for operations; was the topranking female executive on the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (1991); was vice-chair of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (1998).

More From encyclopedia.com