Linda Washington Cropp (born October 5, 1947) 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

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, the

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. She was a Democratic member of the

Council of the District of Columbia The Council of the District of Columbia (or simply D.C. Council) is the legislative branch of the government of the District of Columbia. As permitted in the United States Constitution, the district is not part of any U.S. state and is overseen ...

, where she was the first woman to serve as the elected Council Chairman. On September 12, 2006, she lost the Democratic primary for mayor (57% to 31%) to

Adrian Fenty Adrian Malik Fenty (born December 6, 1970) is an American politician who served as the mayor of the District of Columbia from 2007 to 2011. A Washington, D.C. native, Fenty graduated from Oberlin College and Howard University Law School, then ser ...

. This loss came in spite of the fact that Cropp had been endorsed by outgoing mayor

Anthony A. Williams Anthony Allen Williams (born Anthony Stephen Eggleton; July 28, 1951) is an American politician who was the mayor of the District of Columbia, for two terms, from 1999 to 2007. Williams had previously served as chief financial officer for the dist ...

. She was succeeded as Council Chairman by Vincent C. Gray.

Early life and education

Cropp received a bachelor's degree in government from

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

in 1969. In 1971, she received a Master of Education degree in guidance and counseling from Howard University. She was a student-teacher at Eastern Senior High School, where she met her husband. In 2002, Cropp received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the

University of the District of Columbia The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is a public historically black land-grant university in Washington, D.C., United States. The only public university in the city, it traces its origins to 1851 and opened in its current form in 1 ...

and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy from the

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

in 2007.

Career

From 1970 to 1978, Cropp worked as a teacher and counselor with the

District of Columbia Public Schools The District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) is the local public school system for Washington, D.C. It is distinct from the District of Columbia Public Charter Schools (DCPCS), which governs public charter schools in the city. Compositi ...

. In 1979, she ran for the District of Columbia Board of Education to represent Ward 4. At the time, she was a guidance counselor at Roosevelt Senior High School. Her candidacy was supported by then-

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Marion Barry Marion Shepilov Barry (born Marion Barry Jr.; March 6, 1936 – November 23, 2014) was an American politician who served as mayor of the District of Columbia from 1979 to 1991 and 1995 to 1999. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, Barr ...

. Cropp won the election, defeating opponent Victoria T. Street. Linda Cropp by David King

Cropp started her first term representing Ward 4 on the D.C. Board of Education in 1980.Linda Cropp papers
Special Collections Research Center, Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library, The George Washington University. She was elected vice president of the Board of Education in December 1984, and then president in January 1989. In 1988, Cropp ran to represent Ward 4 on the

. She criticized incumbent

Charlene Drew Jarvis Charlene Drew Jarvis (born July 31, 1941, in Washington, D.C.Georgia Avenue Georgia Avenue is a major north-south artery in Northwest, Washington, D.C., Northwest Washington, D.C., and Montgomery County, Maryland. In Washington, D.C., and for a short distance in Silver Spring, Maryland, Georgia Avenue is also U.S. Rout ...

. Jarvis criticized Cropp for the disappointing results of public schools under Cropp's leadership of the Board of Education. The editorial board of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' endorsed Jarvis' reelection. Cropp was defeated by Jarvis in the Democratic Party primary election, 47% to 52%. When Council Member Betty Ann Kane decided not to run for reelection to her at-large seat in 1990, Cropp ran to replace her. The editorial board of the ''Washington Post'' endorsed the campaign of her opponent, Johnny Barnes. Cropp won the Democratic Party primary election, receiving 51 percent of the vote; Johnny Barnes received 27 percent, and Terry Lynch received 22 percent. Cropp went on to win the general election with 38 percent of the vote. * 1992 elected as chair of the Councilors Committee on Human Services * 1994 re-elected at-large member of D.C. Council * 1997 named acting Chairman of D.C. Council, following the death of David Clarke * 1997 elected D.C. Council Chairman in a special election * 1998 re-elected D.C. Council Chairman * 2002 re-elected D.C. Council Chairman * 2006 entered race for Mayor After her 2006 loss, Cropp retired from politics. Cropp joined the board of two not-for-profit companies, the Community Preservation and Development Corp. and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, and also volunteered for two other local charities, Capital City Links and the D.C. chapter of Boys Town. In 2013, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield promoted her to

chairman of the board The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a Board of directors, board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by ...

.
/ref>

Personal life

Cropp is married to Dwight S. Cropp, a doctor of public policy with a Ph.D. from

. She has two children, Allison and Christopher, and a grandson, Christian Alexander. She lives in Crestwood (Washington, D.C.), Crestwood in

References

External links

Biography

''Metro Weekly'' interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cropp, Linda Members of the Council of the District of Columbia Members of the District of Columbia Board of Education Living people Howard University alumni African-American people in Washington, D.C., politics 20th-century African-American women politicians Politicians from Atlanta 1947 births 2004 United States presidential electors Delta Sigma Theta members Women city councillors in the District of Columbia 21st-century American women politicians 20th-century American women politicians African-American city council members 20th-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American women politicians 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century Washington, D.C., politicians 21st-century Washington, D.C., politicians