Helen M. Marshall

Helen Marie Marshall (nee Sargent September 30, 1929 – March 4, 2017) was an American politician from New York City. She was Borough President of Queens from 2002 - 2013. She was also the first African-American Borough President of Queens.[1]

Helen Marshall
18th Borough President of Queens
In office
January 1, 2002 – January 1, 2014
Preceded byClaire Shulman
Succeeded byMelinda Katz
Member of the New York City Council
from the 21st district
In office
January 1, 1992 – December 31, 2001
Preceded byWalter McCaffrey
Succeeded byHiram Monserrate
Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 35th district
In office
January 5, 1983 – December 31, 1991
Preceded byJohn G. LoPresto
Succeeded byJeffrion L. Aubry
Personal details
Born(1929-09-30)September 30, 1929
The Bronx, New York, U.S.
DiedMarch 4, 2017(2017-03-04) (aged 87)
Palm Desert, California
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseDonald Marshall
Children2
Alma materQueens College

Biography

Marshall was born on September 30, 1929,[2] in the Bronx,[3] having been raised in between both Harlem and the Bronx. Both of her parents were immigrants of African descent from British Guiana (now Guyana).[4]

She graduated with a B.A. in education from CUNY Queens College. She was a teacher for eight years. In 1969, she left teaching to become the first Director of the Langston Hughes Library in Queens. She was married to Donald Edward Marshall until his death; they had two children, Donald Jr. and Agnes Marie.[5] She entered politics as a Democrat.[6] She was a member of the New York State Assembly for eight years and a member of the New York City Council for ten.[6]

She was elected as Borough President of Queens in November 2001, to succeed the term-limited Claire Shulman. As Borough President, Marshall made marketing Queens as a tourist destination one of her priorities. In 2005, she won a second term, defeating her Republican/Conservative challenger Philip T. Sica with 75% of the vote to his 25%. She was inaugurated to her second term as President of the Borough of Queens on January 3, 2006, in a ceremony held at Terrace on the Park in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Marshall outlined her plans for the next four years including health care, education, housing and new park projects. In November 2009, Marshall was re-elected to a third term.[7]

Death

Marshall died on March 4, 2017, at her home in Palm Desert, California, aged 87.[8] A widow, she was survived by her two children.[9]

References
  1. "First African-American Queens Borough President, Helen Marshall, Dies at 87".
  2. Kershaw, Sarah (September 4, 2001). "In Queens, a Spirited Race For Its Borough Presidency". The New York Times. Retrieved March 1, 2011. Ms. Marshall, 71, a former teacher...
  3. Bilefsky, Dan. "In Queens, a Lament That the Borough Is Shortchanged", The New York Times, January 26, 2011.
  4. "Caribbean News, Latin America News". 14 March 2017.
  5. "Biography of Helen M. Marshall". Office of the Queens Borough President. Archived from the original on February 8, 2011. Retrieved March 1, 2011.
  6. Mele, Christopher (March 5, 2017). "Helen M. Marshall, First Black Borough President of Queens, Dies at 87". The New York Times. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  7. Roberts, S (December 26, 2009). "For first time, minority vote was a majority in the city". New York Times. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  8. Christopher Mele (March 4, 2017). "Helen M. Marshall, First Black Borough President of Queens, Dies at 87". The New York Times. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  9. Former Queens Borough Helen Marshall dead at 87, pix11.com; accessed March 4, 2017.
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