Earlean Collins
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Earlean Collins | |
|---|---|
 official portrait, circa 1981 | |
| Member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners from the 1st district | |
| In office December 1998 – December 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Darlena Williams-Burnett |
| Succeeded by | Richard Boykin |
| Illinois State Senator | |
| In office 1976–1998 | |
| Succeeded by | Kimberly Lightford |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 4, 1937[1] |
| Party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | University of Illinois |
| Profession | Attorney |
Earlean Collins (born September 4, 1937) is an American politician. In 1976, Collins became the first African-American woman elected to the Illinois Senate, where she rose to leadership positions. In 1994, she was the Democratic Party candidate for comptroller of Illinois.[2][3]
Collins left the Illinois Senate to run for the Cook County Board of Commissioners in the 1998 election. From 1998 to 2014, she was the member of the County Board from the 1st district, representing an area that included the Humboldt Park, West Garfield Park, Austin and Montclare areas of the City of Chicago as well as the surrounding suburbs of Oak Park, Forest Park, Maywood, Broadview, Westchester, Bellwood and Hillside.[4][5][6][7][8]
Collins was born in Rolling Fork, Mississippi as one of fourteen children,[1] and moved to Chicago, Illinois. She was married to Otis G. Collins who also served in the Illinois General Assembly. They separated and Collins then remarried. Collins was a graduate of the University of Illinois.[9]
