Jean L. Harris

Jean Harris
8th Mayor of Eden Prairie, Minnesota
In office
January 1995 – December 14, 2001
Preceded byDoug Tenpas
Succeeded byNancy Tyra-Lukens
2nd Virginia Secretary of Human Resources
In office
January 14, 1978 – January 16, 1982
GovernorJohn N. Dalton
Preceded byOtis L. Brown
Succeeded byJoe Fisher
Personal details
Born
Jean Louise Harris

(1931-11-24)November 24, 1931
Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
DiedDecember 14, 2001(2001-12-14) (aged 70)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseLeslie John Ellis Jr.
Alma materVirginia Union University
Medical College of Virginia

Jean Louise Harris (November 24, 1931 – December 14, 2001) was an American physician and politician. The first black woman to graduate from the Medical College of Virginia, she went on to serve on the faculty there before being appointed Virginia Secretary of Human Resources by Governor John N. Dalton.[1] Harris moved to Minnesota, where she ran in the Republican primary for lieutenant governor in 1990 and eventually for mayor of Eden Prairie. She was mayor until her death from lung cancer in 2001.[2]

  1. ^ Edwards, Paul G. (December 13, 1977). "Dalton Appoints Black Woman Va. Human Resources Secretary". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  2. ^ Taylor, David Vassar (2009). African Americans in Minnesota. Minnesota Historical Society Press. p. 76. ISBN 9780873516532. Retrieved May 21, 2019.