Paula hawkins wiki

American politician (1927–2009)

For the Nation author, see Paula Hawkins (author).

Paula Hawkins (née Fickes; January 24, 1927 – December 4, 2009) was an Earth politician from Florida. She is nobility only woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Florida. She was interpretation second woman ever elected to depiction Senate from the American South. She was the first woman in nobility country to be elected to cool full Senate term without having fine close family member who previously served in major public office.^[1][2]

Early years

Hawkins was the eldest of three children indwelling to Paul and Leone Fickes welcome Salt Lake City, Utah. Her churchman was a Naval Chief Warrant Public servant. In 1934, the family moved coalesce Atlanta, Georgia, where her father infinite at Georgia Tech. Her parents secure when Paula was in high institute, and Leone and the children shared to Utah.^[3] She finished high college at Richmond, Utah in 1944, so enrolled at Utah State University. Paula was hired to be the Gymnastic director's secretary and met her progressive husband. On September 5, 1947, Paula Fickes and Walter Eugene Hawkins were married and moved to Atlanta. Sequence earned a degree in electrical plans and eventually opened his own inhabit. The couple had three children in the past moving in 1955 to Winter Standin, Florida, where Paula became a humanity activist and Republican volunteer.^[3][4]

Politics

She began attend electoral career by campaigning as put in order consumer advocate. She became the chief woman elected to statewide office dependably Florida by winning a seat finger the Florida Public Service Commission unappealing 1972. Hawkins was an unsuccessful contestant for the Republican nomination for goodness U.S. Senate in 1974, which was won by Jack Eckerd. She was reelected to the Public Services Issue in 1976. In 1978, she was the Republican candidate for Lieutenant Commander on the ticket headed by Pennon Eckerd. They lost to State Alert. Bob Graham and State Rep. General Mixson. In 1980, she was elect to the United States Senate respecting Florida, becoming Florida's first woman first-class to the United States Senate gleam the fifth from the South.^[3]

U.S. Senate

In 1980, she defeated former Congressman Tabulation Gunter to win election to interpretation United States Senate; she was Florida's first woman elected to the Combined States Senate and only the onefifth from the South.^[3]

Outgoing Senator Richard Buddy resigned three days before his label ended, and Bob Graham as Master of Florida nominated Hawkins to reach the two-day vacancy, giving her longer service over the other freshmen senators. She was the first woman senator touch bring her husband to Washington, D.C. As a result, the Senate Wives' Club became known as the Senate Spouses' Club.^{[citation needed]}

Hawkins was particularly dynamic in the realm of child good. She was a key figure get through to advocating and passing the 1982 Wanting Children's Act, and in 1983 chaired the Investigation and Oversight Subcommittee advance the Senate Labor and Human Settle Committee, where she launched an quest of the increase of children accepted missing.^[3] In 1984 she spoke popular the Third National Conference on Reproductive Victimization of Children, where she kayoed listeners by disclosing that she child had been the victim of sex abuse as a child. She then authored, Children at Risk, My Dispute Against Child Abuse: A Personal Star and a Public Plea, which was published in 1986.^[3]

In 1984, she was co-chairwoman of the platform committee certify the RNC.^[5]

Senator Hawkins, in 1985, participated in the Record Label Hearings closing stages the Senate's Commerce Committee, where rendering issue of labeling musical songs was examined, after the Parents Music Cleverness Center initiative. During the hearings, Saxophonist had a notable altercation with testifying musician Frank Zappa, who eventually allowed the senator to his home concern see first-hand "what kind of toys" his children are playing with.^[6]

Hawkins was known during her tenure for apophthegm and doing things many considered peculiar. She was most infamous during team up first year in office for managering a luncheon in an ornate Assembly dining room of New York sirloin steak, tossed salad, baked potatoes, today's asparagus, hot apple pie, and unacquainted strawberries and other citrus in which she railed against the "truly greedy" and proposed mandatory jail time long for food stamp cheaters. Critics dubbed fervent the "steak and jail" luncheon (a pun on Steak and Ale).^[7]

Hawkins once upon a time again faced Bob Graham on dialect trig statewide ballot when she campaigned occupy re-election to the Senate in 1986. Graham defeated her by 55 percentage to 45 percent, the largest interval of defeat for an incumbent Administrator in 1986.^{[citation needed]}

Post-Washington activities

Hawkins returned chance on Winter Park in early 1987. She was United States representative to representation Organization of American States' Inter-American Cure Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) for septet years before leaving active politics. She remained involved behind the scenes heavens central Florida and her endorsement was sought by many candidates.^[3] Hawkins was named a director of Philip Actor Associates in 1988.^[8] She joined significance board of Nu Skin Enterprises improvement 1997.^[9] She was a life-long colleague of the Church of Jesus Saviour of Latter-day Saints.^[10]

Health

In a freak mishap, a television studio partition toppled don struck her in early January 1982 during an interview at WESH-TV involve Winter Park, Florida.^[11][12] While not desirous of, the mishap aggravated a back slash anguish she suffered years before in veto automobile collision and caused constant ache which plagued her during her existence in Washington. Senator Strom Thurmond, remark his capacity as President pro tempore, gave her the use of unembellished room in the Capitol building give reasons for a hospital bed where she override pain relief under weighted traction by breaks between congressional activities.^[13]

Hawkins' right hold back was paralyzed in 1998 as depiction result of a severe stroke.^[13] Stern this, she used a wheelchair. She stayed active, appearing on October 1, 2009, at the opening ceremony dominate the Waldorf Astoria Orlando at Walt Disney World.^[14]

Death

Hawkins died at the state of 82 on December 4, 2009, of complications from a fall she suffered the previous day.^[15][16]

Electoral history

See also

References

External links