Bernice Friedman Stern (July 25, 1916 – June 29, 2007) was an American politician who served as a member of the King County Council from 1969 to 1980. A member of the Democratic Party, she represented the 4th district and was the first woman elected to the council.[1][2][3]
Bernice Stern | |
|---|---|
| Member of the King County Council from the 4th district | |
| In office July 1, 1969 – January 1, 1980 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Lois North |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Bernice Friedman Stern July 25, 1916 Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Died | June 29, 2007 (aged 90) Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Edward Friend Stern |
Early life and activism
editStern was born on July 25, 1916, in Seattle, Washington, to a butcher and a homemaker.[1][2] Her mother died of cancer when she was a teenager, and her father died a few years later of a heart attack.[2][4] Stern was an honors student at Broadway Hogh School and active in the Jewish community.[2][5]
After high school, Stern attended the University of Washington for two years studying Oriental studies because it was "something very easy so I could go out on lots of dates."[2][4][5] In 1935, she dropped out of college after marrying Edward Friend Stern, a lawyer.[2][4][5] After their honeymoon, Stern's mother-in-law introduced her to the Seattle chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) and would rise through the ranks.[1] In 1942, at 26, she became the organization's youngest president.[2][4][5] Stern was also the head of the Seattle Section and Western Region for NCJW as well as the youngest national officer.[1][4] While at the NCJW, she was against the council's focus on the new state of Israel, saying, "We should act independently, avoiding centralized control of any kind."[1][4][6]
Stern was active in other organizations, including the "Grey Ladies" of the Red Cross, but left due to the organization's discrimination against black sailors.[1][2][4] She also worked with the YWCA on the "Speak Up -- Freedom Needs Exercise" campaign to combat book banning at the Seattle Public Library.[1][4] Stern was also active in the Women's rights movement of the 1960s and was one of the few women invited to the White House by President John F. Kennedy for a meeting on civil rights to "guarantee human rights to every citizen regardless of color."[1][2]
King County Council
editIn 1968, voters approved the King County Home Rule Charter, which created the King County Executive and the nine-member county council.[1] Stern ran in the heavily Republican 4th district as a liberal Jewish activist, one of 80 candidates.[1][5] Her son David, an advertising and public relations executive, help Stern run her campaign.[7] She won, becoming the first woman elected to the council.[2][5]
During her tenure, Stern had testy relationships with her colleagues, especially the council member Mike Lowry who defeated her bid to become council chair in 1977.[1][4] In an interview, Stern said, "I was so [angry] that I had sat there and let that nothing Mike Lowry beat me. He said, 'You can be vice-chairman, and you can be chairman next time.' I said, 'You can go back in your office and don’t come back in here again.'"[4] In 1978, Stern was unanimously elected council chair.[2][5][6] She was also chair of the Environmental Planning Committee and the Planning and Community Development Committee.[6]
In 1979, Stern retired from the council to spend more time with her husband.[2][5][6]
Personal life
editStern was married to her husband until he died in 1980 of lung cancer.[2][5] The couple had two sons, Edward Jr. and David.[1][2][5] Stern died in 2007 from complications of pneumonia.[2][5]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Stern, Bernice (1916-2007)". Historylink. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Kelleher, Susan (July 2, 2007). "Councilwoman Bernice Stern, 90, was county's first". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ Stein, Alan (March 7, 2019). "This Week Then: Looking Back on King County's First County Executive". Seattle Mag. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Brown Lavitt, Pamela (June 22, 2001). "Bernice Stern Transcript". Jewish Woman's Archive. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k MCNERTHNEY, CASEY (June 30, 2007). "Bernice Stern, 1916-2007: Former King County Councilwoman dedicated to women's issues". Seattle Post Intelligencer. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Bernice F. Stern papers, 1925-2002". Archive West. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ Lilly, Dick (September 27, 1993). "Stern Brings Lifelong Passion For Politics To Mayor's Race". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 12 October 2024.