Irma Anderson

Irma L. Anderson was the elected mayor of the city of Richmond, California serving between 2001 and 2006. She ran for re-election as the incumbent Democrat in the 2006 mayoral race and lost to Green Party challenger councilperson Gayle McLaughlin by 192 votes.[2]

Irma Anderson
Mayor of Richmond, California
In office
2001–2006
Preceded byRosemary Corbin
Succeeded byGayle McLaughlin
City Council of Richmond, California
In office
1993–2000
Personal details
Born1930 or 1931 (age 91–92)[1]
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseBooker T. Anderson Jr.
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley

Before serving as mayor she was a member of the city council from 1993 through 2000. She was the first black woman to serve on the Richmond city council[3] and arguably claimed to be the first African American woman elected mayor of a major California city (although Doris A. Davis served as mayor of slightly smaller Compton, California in 1973).[1]

Anderson earned both RN and BSN degrees from Cornell University. She also earned an MPH at the school of public health of University of California, Berkeley and was a high school valedictorian.

In 1954, Anderson came to Richmond, California with her husband, the late Rev. Booker T. Anderson Jr. (who served as Mayor of Richmond from 1973 to 1974). Anderson has two sons named Ahmad and Wilbert. Ahmad ran for Richmond City Council in 2020.[4] Anderson's career changed from nursing to politics working for the Contra Costa County Health Department where she began as a nurse and advanced to Director of Public Health Nursing. As mayor, Anderson worked with the West Contra Costa Unified School District developing after-school programs throughout the city of Richmond.

See also

References
  1. "Woman, 70, wins Richmond race", San Francisco Chronicle via sfgate.com, November 8, 2001; retrieved December 12, 2011.
  2. Profile, ca-richmond.civicplus.com; accessed January 17, 2016.
  3. Contra Costa Times profile; December 18, 2006.
  4. "Q&A: Ahmad Anderson Is a 'Native Son' of Richmond Politics". Richmond Pulse. Richmond Pulse. September 3, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
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