Edwina Benner
Mayor of Sunnyvale
In office
1924–1926
In office
1937–1938
Member of Sunnyvale City Council
In office
1920–1948

Edwina Adaha Cochrane Benner (August 1, 1885 – May 14, 1955) was the mayor of Sunnyvale, California, from 1924 to 1926 and again from 1937 to 1938. She served as councilmember from 1920 until 1948.[1] Commonly described as the first female mayor in California, she was actually the second, after Ellen French Aldrich of Sawtelle, California—though Sawtelle had already been annexed by the city of Los Angeles by the time Benner was appointed mayor.[2]

Buildings

In 1954, Sunnyvale School District opened the Edwina Benner Intermediate school, named in her honor. In 2017, affordable housing developer MidPen Housing broke ground on a new 66 unit affordable housing project in Sunnyvale, the Edwina Benner Plaza.[3]

References

  1. ^ Smith, Nancy (March 28, 2017). "Forget selfish personal interests: California's first woman mayor". Nancy Smith: Sunnyvale City Council Seat 6. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  2. ^ Kezra, Victoria (March 2, 2016). "Sunnyvale: The name of the first woman mayor in state history will adorn affordable housing project". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  3. ^ Kezra, Victoria (May 15, 2017). "Construction has begun on Sunnyvale affordable housing project". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
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