Yvonne Brathwaite Burke

Yvonne Pearl Burke (née Watson, later Brathwaite; born October 5, 1932) is an American politician and lawyer from California. She was the first African-American woman to represent the West Coast in Congress. She served in the U.S. Congress from 1973 to 1979. She represented the 2nd District on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from 1992 to 2008. She served as Chair of Los Angeles County four times and served as chair pro tem three times.

In 1973, she became the first member of the U.S. Congress to give birth while in office, and she was the first person to be granted maternity leave by the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

She served on the Board of Directors of Amtrak, having been appointed to the position by President Barack Obama in 2012 and retired in 2024.

Early life and career

Perle Yvonne Watson was born on October 5, 1932, in Los Angeles as the only child of James A. Watson and the former Lola Moore.

After first attending a public school, she was sent to a model school for exceptional children.

Burke attended the University of California, Berkeley from c. 1949 to 1951 before receiving a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1953. She subsequently earned a J.D. degree from the University of Southern California Law School in 1956. Burke is one of the first black women to be admitted to the University of Southern California Law School. She was elected to the California State Assembly in 1966, representing Los Angeles' 63rd District (1967–1972). Many of her early legislative efforts centered around juvenile issues and limiting garnishment of wages.

She served as vice-chairperson of the 1972 Democratic National Convention. She was the first African American and the first woman of color to hold that position, and presided for about fourteen hours when the chair left the convention on its last day.

That same year, she was elected to the first of three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Tenure in U.S. Congress Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, c. 1975During her tenure in Congress, she served on the House Select Committee on Assassinations, House Beauty Shop Committee, and the House Committee on Appropriations; during her tenure on the Appropriations Committee, she fought for increased funding to aid local jurisdictions to comply with desegregation mandates

Later political career In 1979, shortly after she left Congress, Governor Jerry Brown appointed Burke to the Board of Regents of the University of California; but she resigned later that year when Governor Brown appointed her to fill a vacancy in the District 4 seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Burke was the first female and first African-American supervisor. Her district, however, was largely made up of affluent, conservative white areas on the coast. In 1980, Burke was defeated in her bid for a full term in the seat by Republican Deane Dana. In 1982, Brown again appointed her to the Regents.

In 1992, Burke ran for the District 2 seat on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. The primary election was held in June, 1992, just weeks after the 1992 Los Angeles Riots. After a hard-fought campaign that often turned negative, Burke narrowly defeated State Senator Diane Watson.

In 2007, Burke announced that she would retire when her term expired in 2008. On July 27, 2007, the Los Angeles Times published a front-page story revealing that she was not living in the mostly low-income district she represented, but rather in the wealthy Brentwood neighborhood, an apparent violation of state law. Burke responded that she was living at her Brentwood mansion because the townhouse she listed in official political filings was being remodeled.

On March 29, 2012, she was nominated by President Barack Obama to serve on the Amtrak Board of Directors. Confirmed by the U.S. Senate, she held a seat on that board until 2024.

Personal life In 1957 she married Louis Brathwaite, divorcing in 1964. Their daughter Autumn Burke was born on November 23, 1973. Yvonne and Autumn are the first mother-and-daughter to both serve in the California Assembly. William Burke died on May 29, 2026

Memberships Burke is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

Electoral history