Elna Virginia Bridgeforth Spaulding

Elna Virginia Bridgeforth Spaulding ( Bridgeforth; January 23, 1909 – January 7, 2007) was an American civic leader and politician. She served on the Board of Commissioners for Durham County from 1974 to 1984, the first African American woman to do so.

Early life and education Elna Virginia Bridgeforth was born on January 23, 1909, at Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama. She was the daughter of George Ruffin Bridgeforth, a dairy farmer on the faculty of Tuskegee, and Datie Bridgeforth ( Miller). Bridgeforth attended Trinity High School in Athens, Alabama, graduating in 1926, and earned the Bachelor of Music degree from Talladega College in 1930. She served as the organization's first president until 1974, when she ran for the Durham County Board of Commissioners. The award's second recipient was Spaulding's fellow Durham county commissioner Josephine Dobbs Clement.

Durham County Board of Commissioners Spaulding was first elected to the Durham County Board of Commissioners in 1974. She was the first African American woman elected to the board. Spaulding was re-elected for four additional two-year terms to the Board of Commissioners, serving until her retirement in 1984.

Duke University honored Spaulding with the William C. Friday Award in Moral Leadership in 2001.

Personal life and legacy Elna Bridgeforth and Asa T. Spaulding were married on June 24, 1933. They had four children: Asa T. Jr., Patricia Ann, Aaron Lowery, and Kenneth Bridgeforth. The Elna B. Spaulding Conflict Resolution Center in Durham is named for her.