Bettye Davis
Bettye Jean Davis (née Ivory; May 17, 1938 – December 2, 2018) was an American social worker and politician. She was the first African-American to be elected as an Alaska State Senator in 2000.
Bettye Davis | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Alaska Senate from the K district | |
| In office January 8, 2001 – January 15, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Tim Kelly |
| Succeeded by | redistricted |
| Member of the Alaska House of Representatives from the 21st district | |
| In office January 18, 1993 – January 13, 1997 | |
| Preceded by | redistricted |
| Succeeded by | Joe Ryan |
| Member of the Alaska House of Representatives from the 14th district | |
| In office January 21, 1991 – January 18, 1993 Serving with Ramona L. Barnes | |
| Preceded by | Walter R. Furnace |
| Succeeded by | redistricted |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Bettye Jean Ivory May 17, 1938 Homer, Louisiana |
| Died | December 2, 2018 (aged 80) Anchorage, Alaska |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Widowed |
| Residence | Anchorage, Alaska |
| Alma mater | Grambling State University |
| Profession | Social worker |
Davis was a Democratic Party member of the Alaska House of Representatives, representing the fourteenth and twenty-first districts from 1991 through 1996 and the Alaska Senate, representing the K District from 2000 through 2013. During her time in the Alaska Senate she co-sponsored legislation introduced by Representative Sharon M. Cissna to address the needs of Alaska's aging adult population. Senator Davis was referred to as "the conscience of the Legislature" due to her advocacy for programs which supported vulnerable Alaskans.
She was inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame in 2010. She was defeated in the 2012 general election for State Senate district M by Anna Fairclough. In April 2013 she was elected to the Anchorage School Board, a body on which she'd served non-consecutive terms in the 1980s and 1990s. Davis died at her home in Anchorage at the age of 80.
In July 2020, Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School, a high school in Anchorage was renamed in her honor.