Bernice Stern
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Bernice Stern | |
|---|---|
| Chair of the King County Council | |
| In office January 1, 1978 – January 1, 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Lowry |
| Succeeded by | Ruby Chow |
| Member of the King County Council from the 4th district | |
| In office July 1, 1969 – January 1, 1980 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Lois North |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Bernice Friedman Stern July 25, 1916 Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Died | June 29, 2007 (aged 90) Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Edward Friend Stern |
Bernice Friedman Stern (July 25, 1916 – June 29, 2007) was an American politician who served as a member of the King County Council from 1969 to 1980. A member of the Democratic Party, she represented the 4th district and was the first woman elected to the council.[1][2][3]
Stern was born on July 25, 1916, in Seattle, Washington, to a butcher and a homemaker.[1][2] Her mother died of cancer when she was a teenager, and her father died a few years later of a heart attack.[2][4] Stern was an honors student at Broadway Hogh School and active in the Jewish community.[2][5]
After high school, Stern attended the University of Washington for two years studying Oriental studies because it was "something very easy so I could go out on lots of dates."[2][4][5] In 1935, she dropped out of college after marrying Edward Friend Stern, a lawyer.[2][4][5] After their honeymoon, Stern's mother-in-law introduced her to the Seattle chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) and would rise through the ranks.[1] In 1942, at 26, she became the organization's youngest president.[2][4][5] Stern was also the head of the Seattle Section and Western Region for NCJW as well as the youngest national officer.[1][4] While at the NCJW, she was against the council's focus on the new state of Israel, saying, "We should act independently, avoiding centralized control of any kind."[1][4][6]
Stern was active in other organizations, including the "Grey Ladies" of the Red Cross, but left due to the organization's discrimination against black sailors.[1][2][4] She also worked with the YWCA on the "Speak Up -- Freedom Needs Exercise" campaign to combat book banning at the Seattle Public Library.[1][4] Stern was also active in the Women's rights movement of the 1960s and was one of the few women invited to the White House by President John F. Kennedy for a meeting on civil rights to "guarantee human rights to every citizen regardless of color."[1][2]