Wilhelmina Ruth Delco | |
---|---|
Speaker pro tempore of the Texas House of Representatives | |
In office January 17, 1991 – 1993 | |
Preceded by | Michael D. McKinney |
Succeeded by | D. R. Uher |
Member of the
Texas House of Representatives from the 50th district | |
In office January 11, 1983 – January 10, 1995 | |
Preceded by | René Orlando Oliveira |
Succeeded by | Dawnna Dukes |
Member of the
Texas House of Representatives from the 37-1, 37-D district | |
In office January 14, 1975 – January 11, 1983 | |
Preceded by | Larry Bales |
Succeeded by |
Irma Lerma Rangel (Redistricting) |
Personal details | |
Born | Wilhelmina Ruth Fitzgerald July 16, 1929 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) |
Exalton A. Delco, Jr.
(
m. 1952) |
Children | 4 |
Education | Fisk University ( BA) |
Wilhelmina Ruth Delco ( née Fitzgerald; born July 16, 1929) is an American politician who served in the Texas House of Representatives. [1] She was inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame in 1986. [2]
On July 16, 1929, Delco was born as Wilhelmina Ruth Fitzgerald in Chicago, Illinois. Delco's parents were Juanita and William P. Fitzgerald. Delco attended Wendell Phillips Academy High School.
In 1950, Delco earned a BA in sociology at Fisk University.
In 1968, Delco was elected to the board of trustees for the Austin Independent School District, becoming the first African American elected to public office in Austin. [3] [1]
Delco was elected to the House of Representatives for Travis County in 1974 and served ten terms in the legislature. From 1979 to 1991, she was chair of the Higher Education Committee for the House. From 1991 to 1993, she was speaker " pro tempore" for the House of Representatives. She retired from the legislature in 1995. [3] [4]
She has been chair of the board of trustees for Huston-Tillotson College and adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Austin with the Community College Leadership Program. [3] She has been chair of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity of the United States Department of Education. [2]
In 1993, she received the James Bryant Conant Award. [5]
Delco's husband is Exalton A. Delco Jr., whom she met in the cafeteria while attending Fisk University. [6] In 1952, Delco and her husband moved to Austin, Texas.