Margaret Blackshere

Margaret Blackshere (died July 6, 2019) was an American labor organizer and leader. She was the first woman to serve as president of the Illinois AFL-CIO.

Early life and education Blackshere was raised in North Venice, Illinois.

She received her master's degree in education at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

In 1993, Blackshere was elected secretary-treasurer of the Illinois AFL-CIO. In 2000, she was elected president after the organization's first ever contested election. She was the first woman to hold the position in Illinois, and the second woman to lead a state federation in the country.

As president, Blackshere engineered an early endorsement of Rod Blagojevich ahead of the 2002 Illinois gubernatorial campaign.

Blackshere was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention and a member of the Democratic National Committee. She was also a superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention in 2008, where she supported Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton.

Personal life Blackshere had two sons. She died in 2019 of complications of Parkinson's disease.