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

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

who served as a 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, stagger ...

for the 4th district from 2005 to 2014. She served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 200 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 Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. 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 (Philadelphia), Chestnut Street. History 20th century The original ...

and received a Master of Health Science degree from Lincoln University in 1989. Washington was a high school dropout, teen parent, and victim of

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

early in her marriage.

Career

She worked as District Office Manager for former Pennsylvania State Senator Joseph Rocks and as manager of the Philadelphia Parking Authority Employee Assistance Program. She was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 200 in a special election on November 2, 1993, following the resignation of Gordon J. Linton. 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 Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mi ...

in a

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

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 Living people 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century African-American politicians 21st-century American women politicians African-American state legislators in Pennsylvania African-American women in politics Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) alumni Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Pennsylvania politicians convicted of crimes Pennsylvania state senators Politicians from Philadelphia West Philadelphia High School alumni Women state legislators in Pennsylvania 20th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly 21st-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly 21st-century African-American politicians