Adlene Harrison
Mayor of Dallas
Acting
1976
Preceded byWes Wise
Succeeded byRobert Folsom
Personal details
Born(1923-11-19)November 19, 1923
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
DiedFebruary 19, 2022(2022-02-19) (aged 98)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic

Adlene Harrison (November 19, 1923 – February 19, 2022) was an American politician who served on the Dallas City Council from 1973 to 1977,[1] and was acting mayor of Dallas in 1976.[2][3] She also served as regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency from 1977 to 1981 and as the first chair of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Board. She was the first Jewish woman to serve as Mayor of a major U.S. city.[4] She was Dallas' first Jewish mayor and first female mayor; Annette Strauss would follow her in both categories.[5][1] Harrison, a Democratic city councilwoman, succeeded Wes Wise as mayor when he resigned to run for the United States Congress. She served until the election of a new mayor, Robert Folsom, at the end of the year.

Harrison died on February 19, 2022, at the age of 98.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b Grigsby, Sharon (November 21, 2018). "Dallas' first female mayor is as ornery as ever — even at age 95". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  2. ^ "History of Dallas Mayors". dallascityhall.com. City of Dallas Municipal Archives. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Adlene Harrison". Texas Legacy. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  4. ^ "Adlene Harrison becomes first Jewish female big-city mayor". Jewish Women's Archive.
  5. ^ Ragland, Janet (February 27, 2001). "SMU Women's Symposium Honors Five Dallas-Area Women". SMU.edu. Archived from the original on December 4, 2008.
  6. ^ Bailey, Everton Jr. (February 19, 2022). "Adlene Harrison, first woman to serve as Dallas mayor, dies at 98". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved February 20, 2022.


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