Sharon Pratt Kelly

Sharon Pratt Kelly is an American attorney and politician who served as the third Mayor of the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1995. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the first African-American woman to serve as mayor of a major major U.S. city. Her tenure was marked by efforts to address the city's fiscal crisis and violent crime, though she faced significant political challenges and was defeated for re-election.

Early life and education

Sharon Pratt was born on January 30, 1944, in Washington, D.C., to parents Carlisle Edward Pratt and Mildred (Petticord) Pratt. Her father was a prominent municipal bond attorney and a judge on the District of Columbia Superior Court, while her mother was a postal worker. She was raised in the city's Brookland neighborhood and attended Immaculate Conception Academy. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Howard University in 1965 and a Juris Doctor from the Howard University School of Law in 1968, where she was a classmate of future Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

Legal and political career

After law school, she began her career as a law clerk for Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG) attorney Joseph C. Howard Sr., who later became a federal judge. She then worked as an attorney for the Potomac Electric Power Company (PEPCO) and later served as a professor at the Antioch School of Law. Her political involvement grew through the Democratic National Committee (DNC), where she served as treasurer from 1985 to 1989 under Chairman Paul G. Kirk. During this period, she was also a member of the District of Columbia Democratic State Committee and advocated for D.C. statehood.

Mayor of Washington, D.C.

In the 1990 mayoral election, she ran on a platform to "clean house" and reform the city government following the scandal-plagued third term of incumbent Marion Barry. She defeated Barry in the Democratic primary and went on to win the general election against Republican candidate Maurice T. Turner Jr., the former chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia. Upon taking office in January 1991, she inherited a severe budget deficit and a soaring homicide rate linked to the crack epidemic. Her administration implemented austerity measures, including significant layoffs of city employees, and worked with the U.S. Congress and the financial control board established to oversee the city's finances. Her relationship with the D.C. Council was often contentious, and her popularity declined due to the painful budget cuts and perceptions of managerial disarray. She was defeated in the 1994 Democratic primary by Marion Barry, who staged a political comeback.

Post-mayoral career

After leaving the Wilson Building, she returned to the practice of law and corporate consulting. She served as a partner at the firm Jackson Lewis and later founded her own consulting practice. She has held board positions with several corporations and organizations, including Pepco Holdings, Lincoln National Corporation, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She has also been involved with the National Symphony Orchestra and the Federal City Council.

Personal life

She was married to James R. Kelly III from 1962 until their divorce in 1976; they had two daughters, Aimee and Drew. In 1997, she married attorney and political strategist A. Scott Bolden. She remains a resident of Washington, D.C., and is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority. Her papers are archived at the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University.

Category:1944 births Category:American women city mayors Category:Howard University alumni Category:Mayors of Washington, D.C. Category:Living people