Mildred Barry Garvin

Mildred Barry Garvin (November 29, 1929 – June 13, 1993) was an American Democratic Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly, from 1978 to 1988, representing the 26th Legislative District until 1982 and the 27th Legislative District thereafter.

Biography Garvin was born on November 29, 1929, in Chicago, where she attended DuSable High School. She enrolled at the University of Illinois and William Paterson State College. Garvin worked as Director of Special Projects and Internships in the Department of Public Administration at Rutgers University. She was the first African American on the board of education of the East Orange School District, eventually serving as the board's president, and was the first African American to serve on the board of directors of the East Orange Public Library. In redistricting following the 1980 United States census, Garvin was shifted to the 27th District, where she served three terms of office. In 1987, Garvin lost the support of the Essex County Democratic Committee resulting in her mounting an outside challenge from her in the June primary of the organization-backed incumbent Harry A. McEnroe and newcomer Stephanie R. Bush. Garvin came in third place in the primary election. Garvin challenged Codey in the 1991 Democratic primary for State Senate, losing to the incumbent by a margin of 60.9%-39.1%.

In 1991, she was selected as President of the NAACP of the Oranges and Maplewood, which had previously honored her with its Community Service Award. The New Jersey Historical Commission established the Mildred Barry Garvin Prize to honor educators in the state for outstanding teaching of African-American history.