Yvonne Brathwaite Burke
| Yvonne Brathwaite Burke link (Politician) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 5 October 1932 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | US |
| Alma mater | University of California (Berkeley),University of California (Los Angeles),University of Southern California |
| Party | Democratic Party |
California politician and lawyer who sat on the House Select Committee on Assassinations. | |
Yvonne Pearl Burke (née Watson, later Brathwaite) was an American politician and lawyer from California.[1][2]
She was the first African-American woman to represent the West Coast in Congress. She was a member of the U.S. Congress from 1973-1979. She represented the 2nd District on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from 1992–2008.[3] She was Chair of Los Angeles County four times (1993–94, 1997–98, 2002–03, 2007-08) and sat as chair pro tem three times (1996–97, 2001–02, 2006–07).
Her husband is William Burke, a prominent philanthropist and creator of the Los Angeles Marathon.[4]
She sat on the Board of Directors of Amtrak, having been appointed to the position by President Barack Obama in 2012.