 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (May 2024) |
Mae Street Kidd | |
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| Born | February 8, 1904 |
| Died | October 20, 1999 (aged 95) |
| Occupation(s) | politician, civil rights activist |
| Spouse(s) | Horace Street (d. 1942) James Kidd (d. 1972) |
| Parent(s) | Anna Belle Leer, Charles Robert Jones |
| Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from the 41st district | |
| In office January 1, 1968 – January 1, 1985 | |
| Preceded by | Jesse P. Warders |
| Succeeded by | Tom Riner |
Mae Jones Street Kidd (February 8, 1904 – October 20, 1999) was an American businesswoman, civic leader, and a skilled politician during a time when both her gender and her inter-racial background made such accomplishments more difficult than they would be today. She had a distinguished career in public relations, served in the Red Cross during World War II, and was a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1968 to 1984, representing Louisville's 41st state legislative district.
During her tenure in elective office, she was known for her sponsorship of landmark legislation. House Bill No. 27 which became law in 1972 created the Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC) which promotes and finances low-income housing in the state. In 1974, this particular bill was officially designated as the "Mae Street Kidd Act."
Representative Kidd also led the campaign for Kentucky to ratify the United States Constitution's 13th Amendment (abolishing slavery), 14th Amendment (defining citizenship) and 15th Amendment (granting all men the right to vote regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude). Known collectively as the "Reconstruction Amendments," all three of those constitutional amendments had become law shortly after the conclusion of the Civil War when a sufficient number of lawmakers in other states had ratified them. Representative Kidd offered and secured adoption of a resolution in 1976 to post-ratify the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments.