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Quick Facts
- NAME: Eleanor Holmes Norton
- OCCUPATION: Civil Rights Activist, U.S. Representative
- BIRTH DATE: June 13, 1937 (Age: 76)
- EDUCATION: Antioch College, Yale University, Yale Law School
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Washington, D.C.
- Maiden Name: Eleanor Holmes
- ZODIAC SIGN: Gemini
Best Known For
Civil rights activist and ACLU alum Eleanor Holmes Norton serves as a non-voting delegate to Congress from the District of Columbia.
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Play NowEleanor Holmes Norton. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 02:49, Jun 19, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/eleanor-holmes-norton-9425250.
Eleanor Holmes Norton. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/eleanor-holmes-norton-9425250 [Accessed 19 Jun 2013].
"Eleanor Holmes Norton." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Jun 19 2013, 02:49 http://www.biography.com/people/eleanor-holmes-norton-9425250.
"Eleanor Holmes Norton," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/eleanor-holmes-norton-9425250 [accessed Jun 19, 2013].
"Eleanor Holmes Norton," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/eleanor-holmes-norton-9425250 (accessed Jun 19, 2013).
Eleanor Holmes Norton [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 Jun 19] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/eleanor-holmes-norton-9425250.
Eleanor Holmes Norton, http://www.biography.com/people/eleanor-holmes-norton-9425250 (last visited Jun 19, 2013).
Eleanor Holmes Norton. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/eleanor-holmes-norton-9425250. Accessed Jun 19, 2013.
Synopsis
Eleanor Holmes Norton defended George Wallace while working for the American Civil Liberties Union in the 1960s. She then moved to the New York Human Rights Commission (1970-77), and the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (1977-83). In 1990, Norton was elected to Congress as a nonvoting delegate from the District of Columbia, and supported legislation to give D.C. a full vote in the House.
Profile
Civil rights activist, politician. Born June 13, 1937 in Washington, D.C. A graduate of Antioch College, Yale University and Yale University Law School, Norton worked in private practice before becoming assistant director of the American Civil Liberties Union (1965–70) where she defended both Julian Bond's and George Wallace's freedom-of-speech rights.
As Chairman of the New York Human Rights Commission (1970–7), Norton championed women's rights and anti-block-busting legislation. She then went to Washington to chair the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (1977–83), and in 1982 became a law professor at Georgetown University.
In 1990, Norton was elected as a Democratic non-voting delegate to the House from the District of Columbia. Currently under scrutiny, the DC Fair and Equal House Voting Rights Act (or DC Vote) would give one vote to the District of Columbia in the House of Representatives, but not the Senate. Norton is a regular panelist on the PBS women's news program To the Contrary.
© 2013 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.
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View groupWhen the 19th Amendment was ratified, women were finally given the right to vote, and over the years many courageous women have stepped onto the national political stage as well. In 1916, Jeannette Rankin became the first woman elected to Congress and almost a century later Sonia Sotomayor became the first Latina woman to serve on the Supreme Court. And within the last two decades, the esteemable Hillary Clinton has served as First Lady, a New York senator and Secretary of State. These women, and many more, are setting the stage for the future of female leaders in Washington.
Visit Biography.com's Women's History group to explore more biographies, photos and videos of some the world's most fascinating women."
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View groupAfrican-Americans have a long history of activism in America, from fighting for the right to vote to pushing for integrated public spaces. Activists like Stokely Carmichael organized freedom rides, James Meredith fought to integrate blacks and whites at the University of Mississippi, and Rosa Parks instigated the Montgomery Bus Boycott. These protests were often legal and nonviolent, and made a powerful impact on civil rights in the United States. With the help of activists like these—and many others—the country slowly worked to acknowledge the basic rights and contributions of African-Americans. Activists outisde of the U.S. include Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela, who have fought against apartheid in South Africa. Learn more about the many black activists who fought against the odds in order to achieve equality.
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