Elizabeth Bobo (born December 21, 1943) is an

American politician In the United States, politics functions within a framework of a constitutional federal democratic republic with a presidential system. The three distinct branches share powers: Congress, which forms the legislative branch, a bicameral legis ...

from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

and a member of the Democratic Party. She served as Howard County Executive and in the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the Maryland General Assembly, legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House ...

. Bobo was the first and only female Howard County Executive, serving from 1986 to 1990.

Early life and law career

Bobo was born in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

on December 21, 1943. She graduated from Seton High School in Baltimore before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in literature from the

University of Maryland University College The University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) is a public university in College Park, Maryland, and the largest institution in the University System of Maryland. Established in 1947 as the College of Special and Continuation Studies of the U ...

and a Juris Doctor degree from the

University of Maryland School of Law The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law (formerly University of Maryland School of Law from 1924 to 2011) is the law school of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and is located in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1816, it i ...

. Bobo was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1992 and practiced as an attorney before her election to the House of Delegates.

Political career

Bobo served one term as Howard County Executive from 1986 to 1990. She was Howard County's first and only female executive. In 1987, Bobo partnered with developer

Kingdon Gould III Kingdon Gould III (born June 16, 1948) is an American real estate developer, active in the Washington, D.C.-area. He is part of the fifth generation of the Gould family of financiers, philanthropists and diplomats, which includes his father Kingd ...

to form a business outreach program. Charles I. Ecker defeated Bobo's bid for reelection as county executive in 1990. In 1993, Bobo married former planning board member and councilperson Lloyd G. Knowles. In 1994, Bobo was elected to the

. She served four terms there, representing District 12B in Howard County. As a member of the House of Delegates, Bobo voted in favor of increasing the sales tax whilst simultaneously reducing income tax rates for some income brackets in the Tax Reform Act of 2007 (HB2). She voted in favor of in-state tuition for illegal immigrants in 2007 (HB6). She served on the Environmental Matters Committee, and was noted for distinguishing herself as an advocate for protection of the natural environment. During the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries, Bobo supported the candidacy of

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

. She served as one of the state's ten electors pledged to Obama in the

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

, and cast her vote for him along with the other nine on December 15. In 2012, Bobo announced her decision not to seek reelection in 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bobo, Elizabeth Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates 1943 births Living people University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law alumni Women state legislators in Maryland University of Maryland Global Campus alumni People from Columbia, Maryland 2008 United States presidential electors 21st-century American women politicians Howard County executives Seton Keough High School alumni County commissioners in Maryland 20th-century members of the Maryland General Assembly 21st-century members of the Maryland General Assembly 20th-century American women politicians