Myra McDaniel (December 13, 1932 – February 25, 2010) was the first
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
to be the
Secretary of State of Texas
The secretary of state of Texas is one of the six members of the executive department of the State of Texas in the United States. Under the Constitution of Texas, the appointment is made by the governor of Texas, with confirmation by the Texa ...
.
Life
McDaniel was born in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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 ...
to Eva and Toronto Atwell. She attended the
Philadelphia School for Girls. In 1954, she went on to receive her bachelor's degree in English from the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
.
In 1975, she received her
Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from the
University of Texas School of Law
The University of Texas School of Law (Texas Law) is the Law school in the United States, law school of the University of Texas at Austin, a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas. According to Texas Law’s American Bar ...
at
Austin
Austin refers to:
Common meanings
* Austin, Texas, United States, a city
* Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters
* Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...
.
She married Dr. Reuben R. McDaniel in 1955, who was a Professor Management Science and Information Systems at the
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...
.
Myra McDaniel died of lung cancer on February 25, 2010.
Career
After graduating in 1954 from the University of Pennsylvania, she worked at
Baldwin Wallace College
Baldwin Wallace University (BW) is a private university in Berea, Ohio, United States. Established in 1845 as Baldwin Institute by Methodist businessman John Baldwin, it merged with nearby German Wallace College in 1913 to become Baldwin-Wallac ...
and
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...
. She then went to the University of Texas School of Law, where she received her J.D. After receiving her J.D., she worked at the
Texas Attorney General's office.
She eventually became the Chief of the taxation division. Afterward, she entered private practice. However, she was appointed as General Counsel to the
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of state of the U.S. state of Texas. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the government of Texas and is the commander-in-chief of the Texas Military Forces.
Established in the Constit ...
by then-governor
Mark White.
In 1984, she went on to become the
Secretary of State of Texas
The secretary of state of Texas is one of the six members of the executive department of the State of Texas in the United States. Under the Constitution of Texas, the appointment is made by the governor of Texas, with confirmation by the Texa ...
, and became the first African American to hold the position. With that appointment, she also became the then-highest-appointed African American to ever serve in the Texas government.
She went on to enter private practice again in 1987, and at her firm, became the first African American woman to lead a major law firm as a managing partner.
Honors and awards
In 2017, McDaniel was awarded the
Virgil C. Lott medal by the
University of Texas School of Law
The University of Texas School of Law (Texas Law) is the Law school in the United States, law school of the University of Texas at Austin, a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas. According to Texas Law’s American Bar ...
.
References
External links
Interview with Ms. Myra McDaniel: The Secretary of State for Texas 1984-11-28,
In Black America
Produced at KUT, ''In Black America'' is a long-running, nationally syndicated program dedicated to all facets of the African American experience. John L Hanson Jr. profiles a diverse selection of current and historically significant figures who ...
;
KUT Radio,
American Archive of Public Broadcasting
The American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB) is a collaboration between the Library of Congress and WGBH Educational Foundation, founded through the efforts of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). The AAPB is a national effort to di ...
(
WGBH and the Library of Congress)
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDaniel, Myra
Secretaries of state of Texas
1932 births
2010 deaths
20th-century American lawyers
21st-century African-American politicians
20th-century African-American lawyers