Daisy Elliott Explained

Daisy L. Elliott
Image Name:Daisy L. Elliott died 2015.png
State House:Michigan
District:8th
Term Start:January 1, 1981
Term End:December 31, 1982
Predecessor:Ed Vaughn
Successor:Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick
State House2:Michigan
District2:8th
Term Start2:January 1, 1963
Term End2:December 31, 1978
Predecessor2:Frederick Yates
Successor2:Ed Vaughn
Prior Term2:Wayne County 4th district: 1963–1964
22nd district: 1965–1972
Office3:Member of the 1961–1962 Michigan Constitutional Convention from the Wayne County 4th district
Term Start3:October 1, 1961
Term End3:August 1, 1962
Birth Name:Daisy Elizabeth Lenoir
Birth Date:26 November 1917
Birth Place:Filbert, West Virginia, U.S.
Death Place:Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Profession:Realtor, politician
Party:Democratic

Daisy L. Elliott (November 26, 1917 – December 22, 2015) was an American politician and realtor from the state of Michigan.[1]

Early life

Elliott was born Daisy Elizabeth Lenoir in Filbert, West Virginia, and resided in Detroit, Michigan. She was a delegate to the 1961–1962 Michigan Constitutional Convention from Wayne County's 4th district, which resulted in Michigan's Constitution of 1963.

Career

A Democrat, she represented Wayne County's 4th district in the Michigan House of Representatives from 1963 to 1964, Michigan's 22nd district, which replaced Wayne County's 4th district, from 1965 to 1972, and Michigan's 8th district from 1973 to 1978. She was an unsuccessful candidate in the primary for the Michigan Senate 5th district in 1978.[1] then regained her old seat in the Michigan House in 1980. In politics, Elliott was nothing if not persistent: she was defeated five times in the primaries for State Representative (the 1st district in 1950, the 11th district in 1954, and the 4th district in 1956, 1958 and 1960) before finally winning in 1962.

While serving in the Michigan State House of Representatives, she co-authored the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, which passed in 1976, with Melvin L. Larsen.[2]

In April 1982, Elliott was arrested for possessing a stolen 1977 Cadillac.[3] She was defeated by Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick in the Democratic primary that year, and, after numerous appeals, had her conviction upheld in 1984.[4] She served sixty days in jail before being released in June 1985.[5]

Political career

She was a member of Democratic Party, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), League of Women Voters, and Junior League.[1]

Death and legacy

She died on December 22, 2015, aged 98, at DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit.[6] [7] She is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery near the Rosa L. Parks Freedom Chapel.

In 2016, she was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.[8] On June 30, 2020, the Lewis Cass Building in Lansing was renamed the Elliott-Larsen Building in honor of Larsen and Elliot.[9]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Political Graveyard: Elliott, Daisy L. (1917–2015) . December 9, 2014 . The Political Graveyard.
  2. News: Gubbins . Roberta M. . September 17, 2012 . Legal Milestone honors Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act . December 8, 2014 . Oakland County Legal News.
  3. News: Kushma . David . April 6, 1982 . Legislator arrested in stolen car case . . 1 . Newspapers.com.
  4. News: Dzwonkowski . Ron . May 8, 1984 . Legislator's conviction in stolen car case upheld . . 3 . Newspapers.com.
  5. News: April 28, 1985 . Former state Rep. Elliott in jail . . 70 . Newspapers.com.
  6. News: Hicks . Mark . December 23, 2015 . Daisy Elliott, Detroiter behind historic law, dies . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20190424003012/https://www.detroitnews.com/story/obituaries/2015/12/23/daisy-elliott-detroiter-behind-historic-law-dies/77797400/ . April 24, 2019 . December 23, 2015 . The Detroit News.
  7. News: Baldas . Tresa . Stafford . Kat . December 23, 2015 . Daisy Elliott, Detroit civil rights activist, dies . The Detroit Free Press.
  8. Web site: Daisy Elliott . January 26, 2024 . Michigan Women Forward.
  9. Web site: June 30, 2020 . Michigan Executive Order 2020-139 Naming the "Elliott-Larsen Building" . July 14, 2020 . Govdelivery.