Ruth Hassell-Thompson ( Hassell; born November 6, 1942) of

Mount Vernon, New York Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, immediately to the north of the Borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Moun ...

, is a former

State Senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...

who represented the 36th district of New York, which includes the Bronx neighborhoods of Norwood, Bedford Park, Williamsbridge, Co-op City,

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...

and Baychester and City of

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...

Political career and background

Born November 6, 1942 in New York City to Branon Hassell and Thelma Crump Hassell, Hassell-Thompson worked as a pediatric nurse and substance abuse counselor for Mount Vernon Hospital from 1963 to 1998. From January 1980 to June 1987, she was executive director of the Westchester Minority Contractor's Association (WMCA). Prior to leading the WMCA, she worked for the Westchester Community Opportunity Program for 10 years in a number of management positions. She served as president/CEO of Whart Development Company Inc., a real estate development company and a consultant to small and developing businesses before being elected to

City Council in 1993. She would later serve as council president and acting mayor. In 2000, she was elected to the

State Senate In the United States, the state legislature is the legislative branch in each of the 50 U.S. states. A legislature generally performs state duties for a state in the same way that the United States Congress performs national duties at ...

. She is the chairwoman of the Crime Victims, Crime and Corrections Committee and is a former ranking minority member on the Consumer Protection and Judiciary committees. Hassell-Thompson announced on April 22, 2016, that she would be leaving the Senate to work for Governor

Andrew Cuomo Andrew Mark Cuomo ( , ; born December 6, 1957) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 until his resignation in 2021. A member of the Democratic Party and son of former governor Mario Cuomo, ...

. She worked as special adviser for policy and community affairs of New York State Homes and Community Renewal.

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New York State Senate: Ruth Hassell-Thompson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hassell-Thompson, Ruth Living people Politicians from Westchester County, New York African-American state legislators in New York (state) 21st-century African-American women politicians Democratic Party New York (state) state senators Women state legislators in New York (state) American substance abuse counselors African-American nurses American nurses American women nurses 1942 births 21st-century American women politicians Politicians from Mount Vernon, New York African-American city council members in New York (state) Women city councillors in New York (state) 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American military personnel 20th-century African-American women 21st-century members of the New York State Legislature

Political career and background

See also

Notes

Further reading

External links