Gloria G. Lawlah
Gloria Gary Lawlah is an American politician who served as the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Aging under Governor Martin O'Malley from 2007 to 2015. She previously served in the Maryland Senate from 1991 to 2007 and in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1987 to 1991.
Early life and education
Lawlah was born in Newberry, South Carolina on March 12, 1939. She grew up with Newberry alongside her sister, Gene. She attended Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia, where she earned a bachelor's degree in social studies. While at Hampton, she met her future husband, Jack, who eventually settled in LeDroit Park, a neighborhood in Washington, D.C. In 1972, she moved to Hillcrest Heights, Maryland.Career
Lawlah first got involved with politics after realizing that her home in Hillcrest Heights was represented by a Republican in the United States House of Representatives. Afterwards, she began working with elected officials and the local NAACP to integrate schools in Prince George's County, Maryland. She then got involved with the Prince George's County Women's Democratic Club, where she was able to meet U.S. Representative Gladys Spellman, Maryland governor Marvin Mandel, and then-state Senator Steny Hoyer.Maryland House of Delegates
Lawlah was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 14, 1987.Committee assignments
- Member, Constitutional and Administrative Law Committee, 1987–1991
- Member, Joint Committee on Federal Relations, 1987–1991
Maryland Senate
In 1990, Lawlah defeated incumbent state Senator Frank Komenda in the Democratic primary election, backed by abortion-rights advocates who sought to create a filibuster-proof majority in the Maryland Senate. Despite her, and other, victories in the general elections that year, the sought-after supermajority was never achieved. She was sworn in on January 9, 1991.Lawlah considered running in the 1992 United States House of Representatives election in Maryland's 4th congressional district. In October 1991, she endorsed Prince George's County State's Attorney Alexander Williams Jr. for the seat.
Lawlah did not seek re-election in 2006, seeking to retire at the end of the year.
Committee assignments
- Senate Chair, Joint Committee on the Management of Public Funds, 2001–2007
- Member, Budget and Taxation Committee, 1995–2007
- Member, Economic and Environmental Affairs Committee, 1991–1994
- Member, Joint Committee on Investigation, 1991–2007
- Member, Joint Legislative Work Group on Community College Financing, 1994–1995
- Member, Special Joint Task Force on Transportation, 1995
- Member, Executive Nominations Committee, 1995–2000
- Member, Joint Committee on the Selection of the State Treasurer, 1996, 2003
- Member, Spending Affordability Committee, 1997–2000
- Member, Joint Audit Committee, 1998–2007
- Member, Joint Committee on Health Care Delivery and Financing, 1998–2007
- Member, Senate Committee on Redistricting, 2001–2002
- Member, Legislative Policy Committee, 2001–2003
- Member, Special Commission on Legislative Prayer, 2003
- Member, Joint Committee on the State's Emergency Medical Response System, 2003–2005
- Senate Co-chair, Joint Committee on Protocol, 2003–2007
Other memberships
- Chair, Prince George's County Delegation, 2004–2007
- Member, Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, 1999–2007
- Member, Women Legislators of Maryland, 1991–2007
- Member, National Conference of State Legislatures
Maryland Secretary of Aging
On February 7, 2007, Governor Martin O'Malley appointed Lawlah to serve as the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Aging. Her nomination was unanimously approved by the Maryland Senate on February 23, 2007.Post-secretary career
Lawlah remained active in politics after 2015, organizing the 1,000 Maryland Women political action committee.Lawlah endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for president on November 17, 2015. In April 2016, Lawlah endorsed U.S. Representative Chris Van Hollen in the 2016 United States Senate election in Maryland. In July 2019, she endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president. In the 2020 presidential election, Lawlah voted as an elector in Maryland's 4th congressional district. In March 2021, she endorsed Maryland comptroller Peter Franchot for Governor of Maryland.