Norton, Eleanor Holmes (1937-)

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Norton, Eleanor Holmes (1937−)

African-American politician and activist. Born June 13, 1937, in Washington, DC; Antioch College, BA,1960; Yale University, MA in American studies, 1963, JD, 1964; m. Edward Norton, 1965 (div. 1993); children: John Holmes Norton and Katherine Felicia Norton.

Among the few black women in US legal profession during 1960s, served as assistant legal director of American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), specializing in First Amendment rights; appointed chair of NYC Commission on Human Rights (1970); co-founded Black Feminist Organization (1973); became 1st woman chair of Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) when appointed by President Jimmy Carter (1977); serves as tenured law professor at Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, DC; served as board member of 3 Fortune 500 companies; as Democrat, elected to represent District of Columbia in US House of Representatives (1990); reelected (1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004); served as Congresswoman for District of Columbia on House Committee on Government Reform, House Select Committee on Homeland Security, and was a ranking member of Emergency Management.

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