Paula Jean Davis Carter (May 17, 1940 – November 5, 2001) was an American Democratic politician who served in the

Missouri House of Representatives The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...

. She was also elected to the Missouri Senate as the first African-American woman to represent the Fifth Senatorial District from the city of St. Louis. Born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, she previously worked as a chief of staff in the circuit clerk's office and as a precinct captain for J. B. "Jet" Banks.

Personal life

Carter was

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

References

1940 births 2001 deaths 20th-century Roman Catholics 21st-century American politicians 21st-century Roman Catholics Democratic Party members of the Missouri House of Representatives 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American women Politicians from St. Louis 20th-century African-American women politicians 20th-century African-American politicians African-American state legislators in Missouri Women state legislators in Missouri African-American Catholics American Roman Catholics 20th-century members of the Missouri General Assembly {{Missouri-MORepresentative-stub