Daisy L. Elliott (November 26, 1917 – December 22, 2015), was an American politician and realtor from the state of Michigan.

Early life

Elliott was born Daisy Elizabeth Lenoir in

Filbert, West Virginia Filbert is former coal town on Sandlick Creek now part of the City of Gary in McDowell County, West Virginia, United States. Its post office closed in 1991. Notable person *Daisy Elliott Daisy L. Elliott (November 26, 1917 – December 22, 2 ...

, and resided in Detroit, Michigan. She was a delegate to the 1961–1962 Michigan Constitutional Convention from Wayne County's 4th district, which resulted in Michigan's Constitution of 1963.

Career

A Democrat, she represented Wayne County's 4th district in the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

from 1963 to 1964, Michigan's 22nd district, which replaced Wayne County's 4th district, from 1965 to 1972, and Michigan's 8th district from 1973 to 1978. She was an unsuccessful candidate in the primary for the

Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...

5th district in 1978. then regained her old seat in the Michigan House in 1980. In politics, Elliott was nothing if not persistent: she was defeated five times in the primaries for State Representative (the 1st district in 1950, the 11th district in 1954, and the 4th district in 1956, 1958 and 1960) before finally winning in 1962. While serving in the Michigan State House of Representatives, she co-authored the

Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act The Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, or Public Act 453 of 1976, prohibits discrimination in Michigan on the basis of "religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, familial status, or marital status" in employment, housing, ed ...

, which passed in 1976. In April 1982, Elliott was arrested for possessing a stolen 1977

Cadillac The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed i ...

. She was defeated by Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick in the Democratic primary that year, and, after numerous appeals, had her conviction upheld in 1984. She served sixty days in jail before being released in June 1985.

Political career

She was a member of Democratic Party, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP),

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

, and Junior League. She died on December 22, 2015, aged 98, at DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit. She is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery near the Rosa L. Parks Freedom Chapel.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, Daisy 1917 births 2015 deaths African-American state legislators in Michigan Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Politicians from Detroit People from McDowell County, West Virginia Businesspeople from Michigan Women state legislators in Michigan American real estate brokers Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Detroit) Delegates to the 1961–1962 Michigan Constitutional Convention African-American women in politics 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American businesspeople