Peggy Joan Maxie (b. 1936) was the first Black woman elected to public office in Washington state. In 1970, she was elected by a wide margin to the State House of Representatives. From 1971 to 1982, Maxie served in position 2 in Washington’s 37th Legislative District, covering most of the Central Area and parts of Capitol Hill and downtown.

Early in Maxie’s time in the State Legislature, her district was threatened by a proposed redistricting plan. She asserted that the proposal undercounted her largely Black constituents, and in 1972 a federal court ordered Washington to redistrict according to a non-political map which saved the 37th district. Among Maxie’s other accomplishments during her terms in the Legislature are working to establish a no-fault divorce law, sponsoring a bill that became the Landlord-Tenant Act of Washington State, sponsoring several education bills, and running community workshops about participatory democracy. Maxie left the Legislature in 1982 after being defeated in the Democratic primary race by Gary Locke. She continues to live in the Central Area, where she also works as a mental health professional.

This photo shows Peggy Maxie just after her 1970 election to the State House of Representatives.

Caption information source: "PEGGY JOAN MAXIE (1936- )," by Phyllis Fletcher, https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/maxie-peggy-joan-1936-0/
Caption information source: "How They Voted on the State Issues and in Legislative Races," Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 5, 1970, page 4
Caption information source: "Gerrymandering is the Name of the Game," by Mike Layton, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 14, 1970, page 4.