Year Honored: 1998

Birth: 1914 - 1995

Biography

Henrietta R. Johnson was the first African American Woman to serve as State Representative in the Delaware General Assembly. Representative Johnson’s personable nature, “gave her the ability to get along with the members of the General Assembly and helped her to pass controversial bills.” Some of her legislative accomplishments include House Bill 992 or the ‘Delaware Adolescent Program, Inc.’ which helped pregnant and unwed teenagers obtain their education by providing childcare and healthcare for their new families. She also introduced a bill aimed at providing food stamps to low-income citizens. Representative Johnson served as a mentor for other African American men and women in Delaware Politics.

Outside of the Legislature, Representative Johnson helped to organize the Southbridge Medical Activity Center, the first medical center for low-income people in Delaware. It was renamed the Henrietta R. Johnson Medical and Community Center in her honor.
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Sources and Additional Readings

Delaware Commission for Women. (2006). Twenty-Fifth Anniversary: Hall of Fame of Delaware Women: The Legacy Endures.