Live Breaking News & Updates on Thelma Harper Erik Schelzig

and last updated 2021-04-22 17:49:50-04
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Former State Sen. Thelma Harper, the first African American woman to serve in the State Senate, has passed away. She was 80 years old.
Senate Democrats confirmed her death to NewsChannel 5 on Thursday.
Harper entered the Senate in 1991, winning Nashville s 19th Senate District in the 1990 election. She also became the first woman to preside over the Senate and spoke at the Democratic National Convention in 2000.
Erik Schelzig/AP
State Sen. Thelma Harper of Nashville, Tenn., speaks at a press conference by Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday, June 20, 2012, urging Republican Gov. Bill Haslam to call a special session to use surplus revenues to halt tuition hikes in at public universities and colleges. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig) ....

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