Patricia Coats Jessamy is a former chief prosecutor for the City of Baltimore, Maryland She was appointed to head the Office of the State's Attorney

State's Attorney

In the United States, the State's Attorney is, most commonly, an elected official who represents the State in criminal prosecutions and is often the chief law enforcement officer of their respective county, circuit...

 in 1995 and won reelection three times.

Background

Born on July 26, 1948 in Hollandale, Mississippi

Hollandale, Mississippi

Hollandale is a city in Washington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 3,437 at the 2000 census. The town was incorporated in 1890 and almost totally destroyed by fire in February 1904.-Geography:...

 Jessamy received a B.A.

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 from Jackson State University

Jackson State University

Jackson State University is a historically black university founded in 1877 in Natchez, MS by the American Baptist Home Mission Society of New York. The Society moved the school to Jackson in 1882, renaming it Jackson College, and developed its present campus in 1902. It became a state supported...

 in 1970 and graduated from the University of Mississippi School of Law

University of Mississippi School of Law

The University of Mississippi School of Law, also known as Ole Miss Law, is an ABA-accredited law school located on the campus of the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi. The School of Law opened in 1854 and is the fourth-oldest state-supported law school in the country...

in 1974. She was admitted to the Maryland Bar later that year.

Career

Patricia Coats Jessamy, State’s Attorney, Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City is the first woman to serve as Baltimore City State’s Attorney. She began her legal career in Maryland in 1985 as an Assistant State’s Attorney. In 1987, State’s Attorney Stuart Simms appointed Mrs. Jessamy Deputy State’s Attorney for Administration. As Deputy State’s Attorney, Mrs. Jessamy created the Victim Assistance Program and was responsible for all fiscal matters, budgets, and personnel. In 1995, the Circuit Court unanimously appointed Mrs. Jessamy State’s Attorney when Mr. Simms resigned following his appointment as State Secretary for Juvenile Services. She has successfully run for re-election in November 1998, 2002, and 2006.

Jessamy was defeated in her September 14, 2010 primary bid by Democrat Gregg Bernstein.