Lydia E. York (born 1958/1959)^[1] is an American attorney, accountant, and Democratic politician who is the Delaware Auditor of Accounts. York is the first African American woman to be elected to an executive office in Delaware.^[2] She was first elected in the 2022 general election after winning the 2022 Democratic primary, where she defeated incumbent auditor Kathy McGuiness in a 42-point landslide.^[3]

Early life and education

York was born in Southern Pines, North Carolina, and moved to Pittsburgh at the age of six. She graduated from Peabody High School.^[4] York earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Florida A&M University, a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and a Juris Doctor and Master of Laws in taxation from the Temple University Beasley School of Law.^[5]

Career

From 1979 to 1983, York worked as an accountant for Coopers & Lybrand. She later worked as a credit officer for Mellon Bank. From 1991 to 1997, she was a senior financial analyst for the Duquesne Light Company. As a law student, she clerked for the New Jersey Superior Court. York was an associate at Poppiti Law in 2011 and 2012 and has been a staff attorney and office manager of Stewarts Law since 2012.

In October 2021, Delaware Auditor of Accounts Kathy McGuiness was indicted on multiple corruption charges.^[6] York announced that she would challenge McGuiness in the Democratic primary and was endorsed by the Delaware Democratic Party.^[7][8][9] York won the primary election against McGuiness and the general election against Republican Janice Lorrah.^[3] York was sworn in on Jan. 3, 2023 at Delaware State University in Dover, Delaware as the first African-American woman to be elected to an executive office in Delaware.^[2]