Linda W. Cropp

Linda Washington Cropp (born October 5, 1947) ) is an American politician from Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. She was a Democratic member of the Council of the District of Columbia, where she was the first woman to serve as the elected Council Chairman. On September 12, 2006, she lost the Democratic primary for mayor (57% to 31%) to Adrian Fenty. This loss came in spite of the fact that Cropp had been endorsed by outgoing mayor Anthony A. Williams. She was succeeded as Council Chairman by Vincent C. Gray.

Early life and education Cropp received a bachelor's degree in government from Howard University in 1969. In 1971, she received a Master of Education degree in guidance and counseling from Howard University. She was a student-teacher at Eastern Senior High School, where she met her husband.

In 1979, she ran for the District of Columbia Board of Education to represent Ward 4. At the time, she was a guidance counselor at Roosevelt Senior High School. Cropp won the election, defeating opponent Victoria T. Street. She was elected vice president of the Board of Education in December 1984, and then president in January 1989. She criticized incumbent Charlene Drew Jarvis, saying Jarvis had too much allegiance to big businesses because they were the source of the great majority of her campaign contributions. Cropp also said that Jarvis had not done enough to help small businesses along Georgia Avenue. Cropp was defeated by Jarvis in the Democratic Party primary election, 47% to 52%. When Council Member Betty Ann Kane decided not to run for reelection to her at-large seat in 1990, Cropp ran to replace her. The editorial board of the Washington Post endorsed the campaign of her opponent, Johnny Barnes. Cropp won the Democratic Party primary election, receiving 51 percent of the vote; Johnny Barnes received 27 percent, and Terry Lynch received 22 percent. Cropp went on to win the general election with 38 percent of the vote.

1992 elected as chair of the Councilors Committee on Human Services In 2013, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield promoted her to chairman of the board.

Personal life Cropp is married to Dwight S. Cropp, a doctor of public policy with a Ph.D. from George Washington University. She has two children and a grandson. She lives in Crestwood in Washington, D.C.