Ruth B. Harper (December 24, 1927 – February 13, 2006) was a Democratic member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

Formative years

Born in Hinesville, Georgia on December 24, 1927, Harper was a graduate of Cuyler-Beach High School. She also attended the

Berean Institute Berean Institute, founded as the Berean Manual Training and Industrial School, was a vocational school for predominantly African American adult learners in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1899 by Rev. Matthew Anderson and Dr. Caroline St ...

School of Cosmetology and Business, Flamingo Modeling and Charm School, the Philadelphia Miniversity, LaSalle College, and

Moore College of Art Moore College of Art & Design is a Private college, private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1848 by Sarah Peter, Sarah Worthington Peter as the Philadelphia School of Design for Women, and was renamed the Moore Colleg ...

. The owner and director of Ruth Harper's Modeling and Charm School from 1963 to 2004, and director of the Miss Ebony Pennsylvania Pageant. She was also an instructor at

Simon Gratz High School Simon Gratz High School Mastery Charter, formerly Simon Gratz High School is a secondary school in Philadelphia. Its name honors Simon Gratz (1840-1925), a member of the Philadelphia Board of Education. Originally a public high school operated ...

, and Strawberry Mansion Junior High School, and a columnist for the ''Tioga News''.

Political career

Leader of the 13th Ward Democratic Committee, 23rd Division, Harper was also the founder and president of the North Central Women's Political Caucus. Elected to the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal executive leadership board of the United States's Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. According to the party charter, it has "general responsibility for the affairs of the ...

, she served from 1979 to 1996. Elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 1977 term, she served a total of eight consecutive terms. Appointed to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency in 1979, she served in that role until 1984). She opted not to run for reelection to the House in 1992.

Death and interment

Harper died on February 13, 2006, in Philadelphia, and was interred at Magnolia Memorial Gardens in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

."Ruth B. Harper" (biography), Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harper, Ruth 1927 births 2006 deaths Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Women state legislators in Pennsylvania 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American women 20th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly