Anne Rudin was the 51st Mayor of Sacramento from her election in 1983 until she stepped down after declining to seek a third term in 1992. Rudin was the first woman to be directly elected as mayor by Sacramento voters.

Background

Anne Rudin grew up in a working-class Italian American family in Philadelphia during the Great Depression

Great Depression

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

. Rudin started her career as a registered nurse

Registered nurse

A registered nurse is a nurse who has graduated from a nursing program at a university or college and has passed a national licensing exam. A registered nurse helps individuals, families, and groups to achieve health and prevent disease...

. She was also very active in the local and state League of Women Voters

League of Women Voters

The League of Women Voters is an American political organization founded in 1920 by Carrie Chapman Catt during the last meeting of the National American Woman Suffrage Association approximately six months before the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution gave women the right to vote...

. Rudin was first elected to the Sacramento City Council

Sacramento City Council

The Sacramento City Council is the governing body of the city of Sacramento, California. The council holds regular meetings at Sacramento City Hall on Tuesdays at 2:00 pm and 6:00 pm, with exceptions for holidays and other special cases....

 in 1971. She played a significant role in the whirlwind of change and growth that transformed Sacramento

Sacramento

Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...

 from a quiet government and agricultural town into a bustling, large city. She cast the lone vote against a controversial plan to develop North Natomas

Natomas, Sacramento, California

Natomas is a community in northwestern Sacramento, California. It is the last area of Sacramento that has not been fully developed, and has seen major residential development in the 1990s and 2000s. Major growth has been mostly due to Power Balance Pavilion, home court to the Sacramento Kings and...

.

As mayor

Rudin traveled to distant countries to speak of things not directly related to Sacramento but related to politics such as promoting world peace. She also used the influence of her office to fight for nuclear disarmament, gay rights, local anti-smoking laws, bans on assault weapons, and limits to campaign contributions.

During her time in office, she also pushed for the creation of the regional light-rail system.

Awards

On August 12, 2005, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs awarded Rudin's Foreign Minister's Commendation, which was accompanied by an engraved silver cup, for her efforts in promoting bilateral relations between Japan and United States during her term as mayor.

External links

• Anne Rudin Scholarship – League of Women Voters of Sacramento County