Henrietta Turnquest, Trailblazing Politician, Dies at 73
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Henrietta Turnquest, the first Black woman to serve as assistant floor leader in Georgia, died March 29 in Mobile, Alabama, according to
the Atlanta
A memorial service was held April 26.
Turnquest, a lawyer who served under Governor Roy Barnes in her historic role, also spearheaded the integration of the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers.
“My mother was in the vanguard,” Turnquest’s son Malcolm told the
Journal-Constitution. He noted that she was initially one of fewer than 50 black female attorneys in Georgia and was among the initial handful of women of color elected to the Georgia General Assembly.