Carol Ruth Silver
Encyclopedia
Carol Ruth Silver is an American lawyer and former politician. She was a Freedom Rider arrested and incarcerated for 40 days in Jackson, Mississippi,. She was among those on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
allegedly targeted by Dan White
in the Moscone-Milk assassinations
, but was saved because she was not in her office at the time of the murders.
, earning a bachelor's degree in 1960 and a law degree in 1964. She was a fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government
at Harvard University
.
Silver's 1977 election was part of a shift toward diversity on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors; she was described as "the board's first unwed mother."
She served three terms, through 1989. Silver ran in the Democratic
primary for California's 1st congressional district
, in 1996, but lost to Michaela Alioto (who then lost to incumbent Riggs). Silver ran in the 2000 District 6 supervisorial race, coming in fourth.
Silver then retired from politics and continued her philanthropic work, which had included founding San Francisco's Chinese-American International School in 1982, the first and most modeled Mandarin Chinese immersion program in the United States. In the summer of 2002 she traveled to Afghanistan to explore ways that American citizens could extend a hand of friendship to the Afghan people, and she has founded or co-founded three organizations dedicated in different ways to supporting and promoting education in Afghanistan, particularly of women and girls.
She is the principal in Law Offices of Carol Ruth Silver, in San Francisco, California, and a Real Estate Broker. In 2007 she was appointed Director of the San Francisco Sheriff's Office of Prisoner Legal Services.
Silver played a small part (as well as being portrayed by actress Wendy King) in the 2008 Academy Award winning film Milk
, a biopic of the slain Supervisor Harvey Milk with whom she served on the Board. Silver has written in support of the Second Amendment
.
San Francisco Board of Supervisors
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is the legislative body within the government of the City and County of San Francisco, California, United States.-Government and politics:...
allegedly targeted by Dan White
Dan White
Daniel James "Dan" White was a San Francisco supervisor who assassinated San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, on Monday, November 27, 1978, at City Hall...
in the Moscone-Milk assassinations
Moscone-Milk assassinations
The Moscone–Milk assassinations were the killings of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, who were shot and killed in San Francisco City Hall by former Supervisor Dan White on November 27, 1978...
, but was saved because she was not in her office at the time of the murders.
Life and career
Silver attended the University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, earning a bachelor's degree in 1960 and a law degree in 1964. She was a fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
Silver's 1977 election was part of a shift toward diversity on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors; she was described as "the board's first unwed mother."
She served three terms, through 1989. Silver ran in the Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
primary for California's 1st congressional district
California's 1st congressional district
California's 1st congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S. state of California and presently consists of the northern coastline and includes Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino and Napa counties and parts of Sonoma and Yolo counties.The district is currently...
, in 1996, but lost to Michaela Alioto (who then lost to incumbent Riggs). Silver ran in the 2000 District 6 supervisorial race, coming in fourth.
Silver then retired from politics and continued her philanthropic work, which had included founding San Francisco's Chinese-American International School in 1982, the first and most modeled Mandarin Chinese immersion program in the United States. In the summer of 2002 she traveled to Afghanistan to explore ways that American citizens could extend a hand of friendship to the Afghan people, and she has founded or co-founded three organizations dedicated in different ways to supporting and promoting education in Afghanistan, particularly of women and girls.
She is the principal in Law Offices of Carol Ruth Silver, in San Francisco, California, and a Real Estate Broker. In 2007 she was appointed Director of the San Francisco Sheriff's Office of Prisoner Legal Services.
Silver played a small part (as well as being portrayed by actress Wendy King) in the 2008 Academy Award winning film Milk
Milk (film)
Milk is a 2008 American biographical film on the life of gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk, who was the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors...
, a biopic of the slain Supervisor Harvey Milk with whom she served on the Board. Silver has written in support of the Second Amendment
Second Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights.In 2008 and 2010, the Supreme Court issued two Second...
.