Gloria G. Lawlah

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Gloria Lawlah
Lawlah in 2023
Secretary of the Maryland Department of Aging
In office
March 20, 2007 – January 15, 2015
GovernorMartin O'Malley
Preceded byJean Roesser
Succeeded byRona E. Kramer
Member of the Maryland Senate
from the 26th district
In office
January 9, 1991 – January 10, 2007
Preceded byFrank Komenda
Succeeded byC. Anthony Muse
ConstituencyPrince George's County
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
from the 26th district
In office
January 14, 1987 – January 9, 1991
Preceded byFrederick C. Rummage
Marian L. Patterson
Succeeded byDavid Mercado Valderrama
ConstituencyPrince George's County
Personal details
Born (1939-03-12) March 12, 1939 (age 85)
Newberry, South Carolina
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseJack
ChildrenThree children, six grandchildren
ResidenceHillcrest Heights, Maryland
Alma materHampton University (BA)

Gloria Gary Lawlah (born March 12, 1939) is an American politician who served as the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Aging under Governor Martin O'Malley from 2007 to 2015. She previously served in the Maryland Senate from 1991 to 2007 and in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1987 to 1991.[1]

Early life and education[edit]

Lawlah was born in Newberry, South Carolina on March 12, 1939. She grew up with Newberry alongside her sister, Gene.[2] She attended Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia, where she earned a bachelor's degree in social studies.[1] While at Hampton, she met her future husband, Jack, who eventually settled in LeDroit Park, a neighborhood in Washington, D.C.. In 1972, she moved to Hillcrest Heights, Maryland.[2]

Career[edit]

Lawlah first got involved with politics after realizing that her home in Hillcrest Heights was represented by a Republican in the United States House of Representatives. Afterwards, she began working with elected officials and the local NAACP to integrate schools in Prince George's County, Maryland. She then got involved with the Prince George's County Women's Democratic Club, where she was able to meet U.S. Representative Gladys Spellman, Maryland governor Marvin Mandel, and then-state Senator Steny Hoyer.[2]

Maryland House of Delegates[edit]

Lawlah was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 14, 1987.[1]

Committee assignments[edit]

  • Member, Constitutional and Administrative Law Committee, 1987–1991
  • Member, Joint Committee on Federal Relations, 1987–1991

Maryland Senate[edit]

In 1990, Lawlah defeated incumbent state Senator Frank Komenda in the Democratic primary election, backed by abortion-rights advocates who sought to create a filibuster-proof majority in the Maryland Senate.[3][4] Despite her, and other, victories in the general elections that year, the sought-after supermajority was never achieved.[5] She was sworn in on January 9, 1991.[1]

Lawlah considered running in the 1992 United States House of Representatives election in Maryland's 4th congressional district.[6] In October 1991, she endorsed Prince George's County State's Attorney Alexander Williams Jr. for the seat.[7]

Lawlah did not seek re-election in 2006, seeking to retire at the end of the year.[2]

Committee assignments[edit]

  • Senate Chair, Joint Committee on the Management of Public Funds, 2001–2007
  • Member, Budget and Taxation Committee, 1995–2007 (capital budget subcommittee, 1999–2007; chair, health & human services subcommittee, 2003–2007, member, 2001–2007; chair, health, education & human resources subcommittee, 1997–1999; chair, public safety, transportation & environment subcommittee, 2000)
  • Member, Economic and Environmental Affairs Committee, 1991–1994
  • Member, Joint Committee on Investigation, 1991–2007
  • Member, Joint Legislative Work Group on Community College Financing, 1994–1995
  • Member, Special Joint Task Force on Transportation, 1995
  • Member, Executive Nominations Committee, 1995–2000
  • Member, Joint Committee on the Selection of the State Treasurer, 1996, 2003
  • Member, Spending Affordability Committee, 1997–2000
  • Member, Joint Audit Committee, 1998–2007
  • Member, Joint Committee on Health Care Delivery and Financing, 1998–2007
  • Member, Senate Committee on Redistricting, 2001–2002
  • Member, Legislative Policy Committee, 2001–2003
  • Member, Special Commission on Legislative Prayer, 2003
  • Member, Joint Committee on the State's Emergency Medical Response System, 2003–2005
  • Senate Co-chair, Joint Committee on Protocol, 2003–2007

Other memberships[edit]

  • Chair, Prince George's County Delegation, 2004–2007 (vice-chair, 2001–2003)
  • Member, Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, 1999–2007 (chair, international affairs committee, 2001–2007; member, state budget committee, 2000, judicial nominating committee, 2000–2007, redistricting committee, 2000–2007, historically black colleges & universities committee, 2001–2007)
  • Member, Women Legislators of Maryland, 1991–2007 (member at large, executive board, 2001–2002; 2nd vice-president, 2002–2003; president, 2003–2004)
  • Member, National Conference of State Legislatures (economic development, trade & cultural affairs committee)

Maryland Secretary of Aging[edit]

On February 7, 2007, Governor Martin O'Malley appointed Lawlah to serve as the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Aging.[8] Her nomination was unanimously approved by the Maryland Senate on February 23, 2007.[9]

Post-secretary career[edit]

Lawlah remained active in politics after 2015, organizing the 1,000 Maryland Women political action committee.[10]

Lawlah as a member of the electoral college, 2020

Lawlah endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for president on November 17, 2015.[11] In April 2016, Lawlah endorsed U.S. Representative Chris Van Hollen in the 2016 United States Senate election in Maryland.[12] In July 2019, she endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president.[13] In the 2020 presidential election, Lawlah voted as an elector in Maryland's 4th congressional district.[14][15] In March 2021, she endorsed Maryland comptroller Peter Franchot for Governor of Maryland.[16][17]

Personal life[edit]

Lawlah is married to her husband, Jack, and has three children and six grandchildren. Together, they live in Hillcrest Heights, Maryland.[2]

Political positions[edit]

Abortion[edit]

Lawlah identifies as "pro-choice". In 1990, she challenged and defeated anti-abortion state Senator Frank Komenda in the Democratic primary elections after he voted for legislation that would have eliminated about 90 percent of abortions in Maryland.[3][18][19] In 1991, Lawlah voted in favor of legislation that would provide access to abortion in Maryland while requiring physicians to inform minors' parents when their children seek an abortion.[20] The bill passed and was signed into law by Governor William Donald Schaefer on February 18, 1991.[21]

Gambling[edit]

Despite objections she made during hearings, Lawlah supported legislation backed by Governor Bob Ehrlich in 2004 to allow Prince George's County racetracks to have slot machines.[22] In July 2011, Lawlah resigned from the Video Lottery Facility Location Commission after attending a single meeting, saying that she was "thrilled" to be named but had not anticipated the "tough" schedule.[23]

Social issues[edit]

In October 1992, Lawlah criticized the Prince George's County Judicial Nominating Commission for rejecting attorney Elvira M. White, a Black woman, for judgeship based on charges of White being a "closet racist".[24] In August 1994, she came to White's support after a Circuit Court judge ruled that she failed to adequately represent a woman charged with conspiring to murder her parents.[25]

Term limits[edit]

In 2000, Lawlah refused to endorse a referendum to abolish term limits for the county executive and county council of Prince George's County. In November of that year, voters rejected a referendum by a 2-to-1 margin.[26]

Electoral history[edit]

Maryland House of Delegates District 26 Democratic Primary Election, 1986[27]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Gloria Lawlah 3,467 16
Democratic Christine Miller Jones 3,456 16
Democratic Rosa Lee Blumenthal 3,224 15
Democratic Marian L. Patterson 2,970 14
Democratic Otis Ducker 2,935 14
Democratic Alfred L. Barrett 2,836 13
Democratic Napoleon Lechoco 1,618 8
Democratic Wayne M. Lanier 829 4
Maryland House of Delegates District 26 Election, 1986[28]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Rosa Lee Blumenthal 11,610 29
Democratic Christine Miller Jones 10,893 27
Democratic Gloria Lawlah 10,038 25
Republican Lyle Delfosse 4,073 10
Republican Lee F. Breuer 3,547 9
Maryland Senate District 26 Democratic Primary Election, 1990[29]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Gloria Lawlah 5,791 51.4
Democratic Frank J. Komenda 5,468 48.6
Maryland Senate District 26 Election, 1990[30]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Gloria Lawlah 12,231 100.0
Maryland Senate District 26 Election, 1994[31]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Gloria Lawlah 17,590 76.8
Republican Mary Bell G. Shepherd 5,321 23.2
Maryland Senate District 26 Democratic Primary Election, 1998[32]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Gloria Lawlah 6,567 51.0
Democratic C. Anthony Muse 6,300 49.0
Maryland Senate District 26 Election, 1998[33]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Gloria Lawlah 25,303 100.0
Maryland Senate District 26 Democratic Primary Election, 2002[34]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Gloria Lawlah 12,343 69.3
Democratic David Mercado Valderrama 3,240 18.2
Democratic Zalee G. Harris 2,222 12.5
Maryland Senate District 26 Election, 2002[35]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Gloria Lawlah 25,842 99.4
Write-In 162 0.6

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "Gloria G. Lawlah, Maryland Secretary of Aging". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e Wiggins, Ovetta (December 7, 2006). "From Pioneer Lawmaker to Granny Sen. Gloria Lawlah Retiring After 20 Years of Service in the General Assembly". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Tapscott, Richard (September 12, 1990). "MARYLAND ASSEMBLY". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  4. ^ Banisky, Sandy (September 12, 1990). "Abortion foes lose most battles in Senate races". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  5. ^ Byrnes, Timothy; Segers, Mary (October 1, 1994). Abortion Politics in American States. Routledge. p. 89. ISBN 9781563244506. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  6. ^ Norris, Michele; Tapscott, Richard (July 23, 1991). "P.G. STATE'S ATTORNEY PLANS RACE FOR CONGRESS". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  7. ^ Norris, Michele (October 29, 2021). "BROADWATER TO SEEK NEW P.G.-BASED HOUSE SEAT". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  8. ^ "Maryland Department of Aging Newsletter" (PDF). msa.maryland.gov. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  9. ^ "JOURNAL of PROCEEDINGS of the SENATE of MARYLAND REGULAR SESSION, 2007" (PDF). mgaleg.maryland.gov. Maryland General Assembly. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  10. ^ Hernández, Arelis R. (March 29, 2016). "Peña-Melnyk endorsed by Congressional Progressive Caucus". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  11. ^ Fritze, John (November 17, 2015). "Hillary Clinton unveils more than 70 Md. endorsements". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  12. ^ Hernández, Arelis R.; Weiner, Rachel (April 27, 2016). "In an outsider year, Maryland Democrats love insiders". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  13. ^ Kurtz, Josh (July 29, 2019). "10 State Lawmakers Back Biden's Presidential Bid". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  14. ^ Gaines, Danielle; Leckrone, Bennett (December 14, 2020). "The Electoral College Meets Monday. Who Are Maryland's Electors?". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  15. ^ Leckrone, Bennett (December 14, 2020). "Maryland Electors Cast Votes for Biden, Harris in Socially Distant State House Ceremony". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  16. ^ Kurtz, Josh (March 25, 2021). "Franchot Rolls Out Big Endorsement List of Current and Ex-Officeholders". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  17. ^ DePuyt, Bruce (May 18, 2022). "Franchot & Co. Pack the House at Women's Luncheon in Prince George's". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  18. ^ Tapscott, Richard (May 31, 1990). "MARYLAND POLITICS". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  19. ^ Tapscott, Richard (May 24, 1990). "ANTIABORTION SENATORS TARGETED". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  20. ^ Shen, Fern; Tapscott, Richard (February 13, 1991). "ABORTION BILL PASSES MD. SENATE". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  21. ^ Tapscott, Richard (February 19, 1991). "MARYLAND ABORTION BILL PASSES". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  22. ^ Fisher, Marc (February 12, 2004). "In Md., There Are Horses for Courses And Slots for Tots". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  23. ^ Linskey, Annie (July 7, 2011). "Help wanted: Slots commissioner". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  24. ^ Duggan, Paul (October 16, 1992). "JUDICIAL PANEL'S REJECTION OF BLACK NOMINEE DECRIED". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  25. ^ Pierre, Robert (August 2, 1994). "JUDICIAL CANDIDATE REBUTS CRITICISM". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  26. ^ Schwartzman, Paul (November 12, 2000). "Term Limits Didn't Speak to All Voters". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  27. ^ "1986 Gubernatorial Primary Election Results". Maryland State Board of Elections.
  28. ^ "1986 Gubernatorial General Election Results". Maryland State Board of Elections.
  29. ^ "1990 Gubernatorial Primary Election Results". Maryland State Board of Elections.
  30. ^ "1990 Gubernatorial General Election Results". Maryland State Board of Elections.
  31. ^ "1990 Gubernatorial General Election Results". Maryland State Board of Elections.
  32. ^ "1998 Gubernatorial Primary Election Results". Maryland State Board of Elections.
  33. ^ "1998 Gubernatorial General Election Results". Maryland State Board of Elections.
  34. ^ "2002 Gubernatorial Election Official Results: Legislative District 26". Maryland State Board of Elections.
  35. ^ "2002 Gubernatorial General - Official Results". Maryland State Board of Elections.
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