Evelyn Gandy

Edythe Evelyn Gandy (September 4, 1920 – December 23, 2007) was an American politician and lawyer. Gandy was the second female elected under a statewide office in Mississippi. That was Mississippi State Treasurer.[1] The first female was Nellah Massey Bailey. Bailey was elected the State Tax Collector in 1947. Gandy was later elected the insurance commissioner and 26th Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi.[2]

Gandy was a member under the United States' Democratic Party. In 1947, she was elected to Mississippi House of Representatives from Forrest County.[3]

In 1959, Gandy was the first woman elected the Mississippi Assistant Attorney General. Later that year, she became the state treasurer.

Gandy ran twice for the Governor of Mississippi. Both times, she was defeated.

Death

Gandy was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. She died after a long bout having progressive supranuclear palsy, a condition similar to Parkinson's disease.[4]

The legacy

In 2006, the Evelyn Gandy Parkway was opened just outside of Petal in her native Forrest County.

Awards and honors

References

  1. ↑ "Lt Governor Evelyn Gandy and Owen Gandy". The Mississippi History Timeline. Archived from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Former Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Gandy Dead at 87". WLBT. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Women's Group Honors Evelyn Gandy". Jackson Free Press. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  4. ↑ "USM Honors the Life and Legacy of Evelyn Gandy with a Video Tribute". Retrieved July 19, 2021.