LeAnna M. Washington (born July 28, 1945) is an American politician from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

who served as a

Democratic 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 (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

member of the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered eve ...

for the

4th district Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

from 2005 to 2014. She served as a member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 200 The 200th Pennsylvania House of Representatives District is located in Philadelphia County and includes the following areas: * Ward 09 * Ward 22 * Ward 50 Representatives References * Government of Philadelphia 200 __NOTOC__ Year 2 ...

from 1993 to 2005. She resigned in 2014 after being charged with a felony for using campaign staff and state resources to plan her birthday party fundraiser.

Early life and education

Washington was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. She graduated from

West Philadelphia High School West Philadelphia High School is a secondary school located in the West Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the intersection of 49th Street and Chestnut Street. History The original West Philadelphia High School (WPHS) building ...

and received a

Master of Health Science The Master of Health Science (MHS/M.H.Sc.) degree is a specialized master's degree. Depending on the department and specific area of study, the MHS degree provides opportunities for advanced study and research (academic MHS programs) or prepares i ...

degree from Lincoln University in 1989. Washington was a

high school dropout Dropping out refers to leaving high school, college, university or another group for practical reasons, necessities, inability, apathy, or disillusionment with the system from which the individual in question leaves. Canada In Canada, most ind ...

, teen parent, and victim of domestic violence early in her marriage.

Career

She worked as District Office Manager for former Pennsylvania Senator

Joseph Rocks M. Joseph Rocks (born June 6, 1947) is an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania Senate for the 4th district from 1983 to 1988 and as a Republican member of the same Senate district from 1988 t ...

and as manager of the

Philadelphia Parking Authority The Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) is an agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that manages many parking operations for Philadelphia. The PPA was created by the Philadelphia City Council on January 11, 1950, for the purpose of condu ...

Employee Assistance Program. She was elected to the

in a special election on November 2, 1993 following the resignation of

Gordon J. Linton Gordon J. Linton (born March 26, 1948) served as Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration in the United States Department of Transportation ( 1993-1999). He was nominated by President William Jefferson Clinton, confirmed by the United ...

. She was elected to represent the 4th senatorial district in the

Pennsylvania Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered eve ...

in a

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

held on May 17, 2005. On March 12, 2014, the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office announced felony charges of diversion of services and conflict of interest against Washington. The charges included usage of staff members and state equipment to plan her birthday party fundraiser. In October 2014, Washington agreed to leave office early (she had already lost the primary) in exchange for being permitted to retain her retirement benefits. These benefits include lifetime health insurance and a state pension. She agreed to serve three months house arrest, five years of probation, and restitution of $200,000 to the Senate.

References

External links

Pennsylvania State Senate - LeAnna M. Washington
official PA Senate website
Senator Washington
- official party website *''Follow the Money'' - LeAnna M. Washington
20062004200220001998
campaign contributions {{DEFAULTSORT:Washington, Leanna 1945 births 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians African-American state legislators in Pennsylvania African-American women in politics Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) alumni Living people Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Pennsylvania politicians convicted of crimes Pennsylvania state senators Politicians from Philadelphia Women state legislators in Pennsylvania 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American politicians West Philadelphia High School alumni