Laura Boyd (born June 5, 1949) is an American

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

from

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

. A member of the Democratic Party, Boyd was elected in 1992 to the

Oklahoma House of Representatives The Oklahoma House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its members introduce and vote on bills and resolutions, provide legislative oversight for state agencies, and help to craft the state's ...

to represent District 44, which included Cleveland County. She served in the State House for six years until

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

when she became the first woman to receive a major party nomination for

Governor of Oklahoma The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma Executive (government), executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The gover ...

. Incumbent Republican governor

Frank Keating Francis Anthony Keating II (born February 10, 1944, as David Rowland Keating) is an American attorney, politician and a former FBI special agent who served as the 25th governor of Oklahoma from 1995 to 2003. , Keating is one of only five gover ...

defeated Boyd in a landslide.

Eisenhower Fellowships Eisenhower Fellowships (EF) is a private, non-profit organization created in 1953 by a group of American citizens to honor President Dwight D. Eisenhower for his contribution to humanity as a soldier, statesman, and world leader. The organization ...

selected Laura Boyd as a USA Eisenhower Fellow in 1999.

Biography

Boyd was born in

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the county seat, seat of government of Albemarle County, Virginia, Albemarle County, which surrounds the ...

. She earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

from

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

, a

master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

from

Marywood University Marywood University is a Private university, private Catholic university in Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States. Established in 1915 by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Marywood currently enrolls more than 2,800 students ...

, and a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in Psychology from American Commonwealth University. Boyd served in the

from 1993 to 1998 and chaired the Community and Family Responsibilities Committee. She introduced 11 bills while in the House, three of which were signed into law. Boyd sponsored legislation to help create jobs in Oklahoma, to crack down on elder abuse, and to establish the College Savings Plan. In 1998 Boyd became the first woman to be nominated for Governor of Oklahoma when she won the nomination of the

Oklahoma Democratic Party The Oklahoma Democratic Party (ODP) is an Oklahoma political party affiliated with the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. It and the Oklahoma Republican Party, are the state's two major parties. The party dominated local politics ...

. She received 41% of the votes and was defeated by Republican

. In 2002 Boyd was the Democratic nominee for

Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma The lieutenant governor of Oklahoma is the second-highest executive official of the state government of Oklahoma. As first in the gubernatorial line of succession, the lieutenant governor becomes the new governor of Oklahoma upon the death, ...

but was defeated by Republican

Mary Fallin Mary Fallin (; née Copeland; born December 9, 1954) is an American politician who served as the 27th governor of Oklahoma from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, she was elected in 2010 Oklahoma gub ...

. Boyd has taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. She has offered private counseling for over 20 years. She is owner and CEO of Policy and Performance Consultants Inc. in

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

, as well as national field director of Women Legislators' Lobby and executive director of the Oklahoma Therapeutic Foster Care Association. In 2011 she was inducted into the

Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame was established in 1982 by Oklahoma Governor George Nigh "to honor Oklahoma women who are pioneers in their field or in a project that benefits Oklahoma; who have made a significant contribution to the State of Oklaho ...

Major legislation

The Ryan Luke Act, which cracks down on child abuse and sexual predators, was Boyd's major legislative contribution.

References

External links

2005-2006 Oklahoma Almanac Online--Oklahoma History

Women of the Oklahoma Legislature Oral History Project--OSU Library

Historic House Membership
Oklahoma House of Representatives. , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Boyd, Laura 1949 births 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American women politicians Candidates in the 1998 United States elections Candidates in the 2002 United States elections Duke University alumni Living people Marywood University alumni 20th-century members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Politicians from Charlottesville, Virginia Women state legislators in Oklahoma