Doris Bunte
| Doris Bunte | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 7th Suffolk district | |
|
In office 1973–1984 | |
| Preceded by | Royal L. Bolling |
| Succeeded by | Gloria Fox |
| Boston Housing Authority Administrator | |
|
In office 1984–1992 | |
| Preceded by | Harry Spence |
| Succeeded by | David Cortiella |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 2, 1933 |
| Political party | Democratic |
Doris Bunte (b. 1933) is a former Massachusetts state representative and a former administrator of the Boston Housing Authority. She was the first African-American woman to hold either position.
Biography
She was born on July 2, 1933, in New York City and educated in the New York City public schools.[1]
She was a tenant activist at the Orchard Park housing project (now Orchard Gardens) in Roxbury.[2] She was a member of the National Rent Board, the Critical Minority Affairs Committee, the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment, the National Tenants Organization, and the Citizens Housing and Planning Association.[1]
In 1972, Bunte was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives (7th Suffolk District, Wards 8, 9 and 12), where she served for 12 years.[2] She was the first African-American woman elected to the Massachusetts state legislature.[3] In 1984, Mayor Raymond Flynn appointed her Administrator of the Boston Housing Authority, where she served until 1992.[2] She was the first African-American woman to hold that position in Boston, and the first former public housing tenant to lead a public housing agency in a major city.[3] During her career in Massachusetts politics she was known as a strong advocate for public housing.[2]
Afterwards she worked at the Boston University School of Public Health and the Center for Sport in Society at Northeastern University before retiring in 2010.[2]
References
- 1 2 "Public officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1973-1974". Internet Archive.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Walker, Adrian (June 6, 2011). "She's not the retiring type". The Boston Globe.
- 1 2 Vrabel, Jim (2004). When in Boston: A Time Line & Almanac. Northeastern University Press. pp. 341, 359. ISBN 9781555536213.