Lanell Cofer (12 March 1948 – 18 October 2018) was an American politician and lawyer. Cofer was born on 12 March 1948 and graduated from

East Texas State University East Texas A&M University (ETAMU; formerly Texas A&M University–Commerce) is a public university in Commerce, Texas, United States. With an enrollment of over 12,000 students as of fall 2017, the university is the third-largest institution in ...

in 1971 before attending the Texas Southern University School of Law. After earning her Juris Doctor in 1974, she became an attorney based in Dallas. After

Eddie Bernice Johnson Eddie Bernice Johnson (December 3, 1934 – December 31, 2023) was an American politician who represented Texas's in the United States House of Representatives from 1993 to 2023. Johnson was a member of the Democratic Party. Johnson was electe ...

resigned the District 33-0 seat in the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...

, Cofer, a fellow

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

and African-American, won a November 1977 special election to succeed Johnson, and took office on 8 December 1977. During her legislative tenure, Cofer remained a Dallas resident. After completing Johnson's term, Cofer won two full terms in her own right before stepping down on 11 January 1983. She died on 18 October 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cofer, Lanell 1948 births 2018 deaths 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American politicians African-American state legislators in Texas Women state legislators in Texas Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives 20th-century African-American women politicians Politicians from Dallas Lawyers from Dallas 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century American women lawyers East Texas A&M University alumni Thurgood Marshall School of Law alumni 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century African-American lawyers 20th-century members of the Texas Legislature