Lottie Shackelford

Lottie Lee Holt Shackelford (born April 30, 1941)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> is an American politician. Shackelford was the first woman and first Black woman appointed mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas in 1987.<ref name=iop>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref> She remains the only Black female who has ever held this position.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref> She served as mayor until 1991.<ref name=":2" /> Throughout the 1980s, Shackelford worked extensively with the Democratic National Committee, beginning with her work on Bill Clinton’s campaigns.<ref name=":2" /> In1993, President Bill Clinton<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> appointed her to the Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC),<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> making her the first African-American woman to serve in that role. She was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame in 1993.<ref name=":4" /> Throughout the 2000's, 2010's, and 2020's she has remained an active member of the Democratic Party, partially through her work on the Democratic National Committee.<ref name=":2" />Additionally, she is the longest serving vice chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), having held the office for over 20 years.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Biography

Early life

Lottie Lee Holt Shackelford was born in Little Rock, Arkansas to parents Curtis Holt Sr. and Bernice Linzy Holt.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":5">Template:Cite web</ref> She is one of four children.<ref name=":2" /> Shackelford’s father was a porter and chef for the Union Pacific Railroad.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> He also worked as a truck driver.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> Her mother held multiple jobs in Little Rock including working in a school cafeteria and at a manufacturing plant.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" /> Shackelford attended Little Rock's all black high school Horace Mann and graduated in 1958.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" />

Family and Personal Life

In 1958 Shackelford married Calvin Henry Shackelford Jr., an airman who was also from Little Rock.<ref name=":2" /> In their time together, Shackelford traveled with him to several assignments on U.S. Air Force bases.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":5" /> They had a son and two daughters <ref name=":2" /> before their separation in 1984.<ref name=":5" />

Education

Shackelford received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas. In the fall of 1958, she first enrolled at Philander Smith College, intending to become a microbiologist. <ref name=":4" /> In 1963, she left school because her father fell ill and died.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" />In 1979, when her eldest child was a senior in high school, Shackelford returned to obtain her Bachelor’s degree.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" /> She was a Senior Fellow at the Arkansas Institute of Politics and a fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.<ref name=":1" />

Career

After graduating from Philander Smith College, Shackelford worked with the Urban League of Greater Little Rock and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Shackelford’s first entry into politics occurred in 1974 when she ran for a position on the Board of Directors for Little Rock. Shackelford was involved with a group called Black Female Action which was crucial to her entry into the political sphere.<ref name=":6">Template:Cite web</ref> At the time, the group was trying to get the Arkansas Gazette to include photos of Black brides on the front page of their society section.<ref name=":6" /> This work led to the group's involvement in more political matters, leading members to encourage Shackelford to run.<ref name=":6" /> Out of the five candidates that ran in 1974, Shackelford finished third.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":5" />A White businessman won the position.<ref name=":2" /> In 1978,<ref name=":1" /> due to a vacancy on the Board of Directors, Shackelford was appointed for a two year term.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":5" />After that term was finished, Shackelford ran for reelection in 1980 and won.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":5" /> She was re-elected citywide twice.<ref name=":2" /> In 1987, the Board of Directors for Little Rock elected her to be mayor, a role she served in until 1991.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":5" /> During her tenure in local government, Shackelford directed liaison activities for minority businesses and held leadership positions at the National League of Cities.<ref name=":1" /> She also presented papers on local government, economic development, and electoral politics nationally and internationally, and led economic trade missions and conducted lecture tours in Europe, Asia, and Africa.<ref name=":1" />

In the 1980s, Shackelford became more involved with the Democratic party, beginning with her work for Bill Clinton’s campaign.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" />In 1980, Shackelford was selected to be a delegate for the Democratic National Convention.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":2" /> For the past several decades, Shackelford has worked with the Democratic Party at the state and national level. She served as Secretary, Vice Chair, and Chair of the Arkansas State Democratic Committee, and was elected Secretary of the National Association of State Democratic Chairs. Ms. Shackelford served as Co-Chair of the Platform Committee in 1984 and the Rules Committee in 1988, and she currently serves on the Resolutions Committee.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Shackelford's experience also includes advising presidential candidates, working on White House transition teams, and representing a Presidential administration abroad. In 1992, she was a Deputy Campaign manager for the Clinton/Gore Presidential Campaign and was later appointed Co-Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the Clinton Transition Team. In 1993, President Clinton appointed Shackelford as a US Delegate to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, Vienna, Austria. In 1994, Shackelford started a new role as the executive vice president of Global USA, INC. <ref name=":2" />

In her role as DNC Vice Chair of Voter Registration and Participation,<ref name=":1" /> Shackelford traveled across the country and around the world, sharing the Democratic Party's message and engaging voters in the political process. She has participated in political forums of other countries, including Azerbaijan, Russia, West Germany and Taiwan, and she has observed elections in Romania and the Baltic States.<ref name=":1" /> In 2014, she ran the Women’s Caucus of the Democratic National Committee.<ref name=":3" /> In 2024, Shackelford announced the Arkansas state delegation vote at the Democratic National Convention. <ref name=":2" /> Shackelford stays active in politics by giving interviews and encouraging younger generations to continue her work.<ref name=":5" />

Awards

• Registry of Outstanding Men and Women, Esquire magazine
• Woman of the Year, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
• 1993: Arkansas Black Hall of Fame inductee<ref name=":4">Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1998: Mary Church Terrell Award, Delta Sigma Theta
• 2016: Arkansas Women's Hall of Fame inductee<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

• List of first African-American mayors

External links

• Democratic National Committee Biography
• Template:C-SPAN