Laura A. Brown

Laura A. Brown
Born	Laura Penn (1874-11-08)November 8, 1874 Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Died	1924
Nationality	American
Known for	first African-American to run for state legislature in Pennsylvania

Laura A. Brown (née Penn; 1874–1924) was an American activist and local politician.^[1] She was the first African-American to run for the state legislature in Pennsylvania.^[2]

Personal life

Brown was born Laura Penn on November 8, 1874, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. She married George Brown at a young age. They lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and had one daughter.^[1]

Public life

Brown was an active member of the Pennsylvania Federation of Colored Women's Clubs and her church choir.^[1]

During World War I, Brown led a war savings stamp campaign that allowed individual citizens to help fund the U.S. war effort.^[2] Later, during Warren G. Harding's presidential campaign, Brown became a member of the executive board of the Republican Women's Committee of Allegheny County and the Republican Council of Women of the City-County Federation of Allegheny.^[1][2]

In 1922, Brown became the first African-American to run for state legislature in Pennsylvania as a candidate for the First District in Allegheny County. She did not win election.^[2]

References

1. Hallie Q. Brown (1988). Homespun Heroines and Other Women of Distinction. Oxford University Press, USA. pp. 237–8. ISBN 978-0-19-976309-2.
2. LaVonne Leslie (2012). The History of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs, Inc.: A Legacy of Service. Xlibris Corporation. p. 132. ISBN 978-1-4797-2265-5.