Lena King Lee

Lena King Lee (July 14, 1906 – August 24, 2006) was an American educator, attorney, and politician who entered politics at the age of 60 and became one of the first African-American women elected to the Maryland General Assembly. Lee advocated for teachers' rights, women's rights, and affordable housing, and founded the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland in 1970. She was inducted into the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame in 1989.

Early life and education

She was born Lena King in Sumter County, Alabama, in 1906, one of three children of Samuel Sylvester King and Lula Gully King. Her father was a coal miner and a miners' activist who at times worked as a chauffeur and a butler to make ends meet. Lena attended public schools in Alabama, Illinois, and Pennsylvania, as her father moved around in search of mining jobs. After graduating from Tarentum High School, where she was the only black student and finished third in a class of 70, a teacher arranged for her to receive a scholarship to Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, where she trained as a teacher. Early in her teaching career she joined the American Federation of Teachers and fought for teachers' rights.

After earning a Bachelor of Science degree from Morgan State University in 1939, Lee was barred from pursuing graduate studies at the University of Maryland due to racial segregation. Maryland instead paid for African Americans to attend school out of state. Lee commuted by train to New York City on weekends, and received her Master of Arts degree from New York University in 1947. Decades later, she recalled in an interview, "By the time you got to New York, you were worn out, and of course we couldn't ride the Pullmans. This great country actually tolerated that." In 1952, she became the third black woman to receive a law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law.

Career

While pursuing her degrees, Lee continued to teach in the Baltimore public schools. She served as principal of Henry H. Garnett Elementary School from 1947 to 1964, remaining there even after earning her law degree and being admitted to the bar. As a lawyer she worked mostly on domestic cases.

In 1966 she was drafted to run for state delegate. She ran on a progressive platform and was elected that November. Lee represented Baltimore's 4th legislative district (now the 44th) from 1967 to 1982. Her husband died circa 1965.

After leaving public office, Lee was active in many civic and cultural organizations, including the Monumental City Bar Association, the Maryland League of Women's Clubs, the DuBois Circle, the Sharp Street Memorial United Methodist Church, the Herbert M. Frisby Historical Society, and the Madison Park Improvement Association. She died on August 24, 2006, at her home in Baltimore.