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Brenda Lawrence
Brenda Lawrence (née Lulenar; born October 18, 1954) is an American retired politician who served as the U.S. representative from Michigan's 14th congressional district from 2015 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Lawrence served as mayor of Southfield, Michigan, from 2001 to 2015, and was the party's nominee for Oakland County executive in 2008 and for lieutenant governor in 2010. Her congressional district covered most of eastern Detroit, including downtown, and stretched west to take in portions of Oakland County, including Farmington Hills, Pontiac, and Lawrence's home in Southfield.
Redrawn into the 12th district, Lawrence did not seek reelection in 2022, and retired from Congress upon her fourth term's expiration in 2023.
Lawrence grew up in Detroit's northeast side, on Lumpkin Street. She was raised by her grandparents after her mother died when she was three years old. She attended local schools, graduating from Detroit's Pershing High School. She then earned her bachelor's degree in public administration from Central Michigan University.
Lawrence had a 30-year career with the United States Postal Service, advancing to work in human resources. In the early-1990s, as an active member of the Parent-Teacher Association at her children's school, she sought and earned a seat on the Southfield Public Schools Board of Education. She served as president, vice president, and secretary of the board.
Lawrence got more deeply involved in local affairs. In 1997, she was elected to serve on Southfield's City Council, and in 1999 she was elected council president.
In 2001, Lawrence defeated longtime incumbent Donald Fracassi for the mayor's office, becoming the city's first African-American and first female mayor. She was reelected in 2005 without opposition. As mayor, she was invited by the United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform in 2008 to represent United States mayors in testimony about the mortgage crisis and its effect on American communities. She returned to Washington later that year to lobby Congress for a bridge loan for the American auto industry.[citation needed]
Lawrence served as a Michigan delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention. As a superdelegate at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, she endorsed U.S. Senator Barack Obama for president in June 2008.
She successfully sought a third term as mayor in 2009, defeating former Councilwoman Sylvia Jordan with nearly 80 percent of the vote. She was reelected to a fourth term unopposed in 2013.
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Brenda Lawrence
Brenda Lawrence (née Lulenar; born October 18, 1954) is an American retired politician who served as the U.S. representative from Michigan's 14th congressional district from 2015 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Lawrence served as mayor of Southfield, Michigan, from 2001 to 2015, and was the party's nominee for Oakland County executive in 2008 and for lieutenant governor in 2010. Her congressional district covered most of eastern Detroit, including downtown, and stretched west to take in portions of Oakland County, including Farmington Hills, Pontiac, and Lawrence's home in Southfield.
Redrawn into the 12th district, Lawrence did not seek reelection in 2022, and retired from Congress upon her fourth term's expiration in 2023.
Lawrence grew up in Detroit's northeast side, on Lumpkin Street. She was raised by her grandparents after her mother died when she was three years old. She attended local schools, graduating from Detroit's Pershing High School. She then earned her bachelor's degree in public administration from Central Michigan University.
Lawrence had a 30-year career with the United States Postal Service, advancing to work in human resources. In the early-1990s, as an active member of the Parent-Teacher Association at her children's school, she sought and earned a seat on the Southfield Public Schools Board of Education. She served as president, vice president, and secretary of the board.
Lawrence got more deeply involved in local affairs. In 1997, she was elected to serve on Southfield's City Council, and in 1999 she was elected council president.
In 2001, Lawrence defeated longtime incumbent Donald Fracassi for the mayor's office, becoming the city's first African-American and first female mayor. She was reelected in 2005 without opposition. As mayor, she was invited by the United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform in 2008 to represent United States mayors in testimony about the mortgage crisis and its effect on American communities. She returned to Washington later that year to lobby Congress for a bridge loan for the American auto industry.[citation needed]
Lawrence served as a Michigan delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention. As a superdelegate at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, she endorsed U.S. Senator Barack Obama for president in June 2008.
She successfully sought a third term as mayor in 2009, defeating former Councilwoman Sylvia Jordan with nearly 80 percent of the vote. She was reelected to a fourth term unopposed in 2013.