Following… yet setting a distinct path…

Peggy Joan Maxie born August 18, 1936 moved to Seattle in 1942 with her single mother. Peggy earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Seattle University in 1970. Through a stroke of fate, Peggy Maxie ran her first campaign for State House of Representatives 37^th District while attending graduate school at the University of Washington. She became the first African American woman elected to public office in Washington State (1971-1982). She served as a legislator while completing her thesis on no-fault divorce law in 1972, which the legislature passed the following year. Ms. Maxie worked to keep the 37^th district, Seattle’s mostly-black Central Area, from a devastating redistricting plan. In 1973, Peggy was the prime sponsor of the Landlord-Tenant Act, which established landlord responsibilities. Ms. Maxie chaired the higher education committee, helped fund the U of W School of Social Work and sponsored several education bills. In 1981, the University of Washington acknowledged her community workshops on participatory democracy, which she considered her greatest accomplishment.