Dorothy Mae Taylor

Dorothy Mae DeLavallade Taylor
Louisiana State Representative for District 20 (Orleans Parish)
In office 1971–1980
Preceded by	Ernest Nathan Morial
Member of the New Orleans City Council
In office 1986–1994
Succeeded by	Two at-large members: Peggy Wilson Jim Singleton
Personal details
Born	(1928-08-10)August 10, 1928 New Orleans, Louisiana, US
Died	August 18, 2000(2000-08-18) (aged 72) New Orleans, Louisiana
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Johnny Taylor, Jr. (married 1948)
Children	Seven children
Parent(s)	Charles H. and Mary Jackson DeLavallade
Residence(s)	New Orleans, Louisiana
Alma mater	Southern University
Occupation	Civil rights activist Government official

Dorothy Mae DeLavallade Taylor (August 10, 1928 – August 18, 2000), was an educator and politician in New Orleans, the first African-American woman to be elected to and serve in the Louisiana House of Representatives. From 1971 to 1980, she represented District 20, since renumbered, in her native New Orleans. She had started her career as a teacher in the Head Start Program, designed to benefit children in their early years.

She was also active in civil rights in the 1950s and 1960s, gaining more resources for facilities for African Americans in the city. She worked in issues of health care, child care, racial discrimination and inhumane conditions in state prisons. As Director of the Central City Neighborhood Health Clinic from 1980, she also worked to develop African-American leaders among her staff, and mentored a number of future politicians in the state. In 1984 she was appointed by Governor Edwin Edwards as head of the state Department of Urban and Community Affairs, becoming the first African-American woman to hold a cabinet position.