Lorette Wood

Lorette Wood
Lorette Wood
Mayor of Santa Cruz, California
	In office; April 20, 1971 – April 25, 1972
Preceded by	Ernest Wicklund Jr.
Succeeded by	Al Castagnola
Personal details
Born	May 17, 1915; Mission San Jose, Fremont, California
Died	April 20, 2010
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Edwin H. Wood (?-1977; his death)
Residence	Santa Cruz, California
Alma mater	San Jose State University; University of California, Berkeley
Profession	Teacher, politician

Lorette M. Wood (May 17, 1915 – April 20, 2010) was an American politician. Wood was the first woman to be elected to the city council of Santa Cruz, California, in 1967.^[2] She later became the first woman to serve as mayor of Santa Cruz upon her appointment to the office by city council in 1971.^[2]

Biography

Lorette Wood was born in what was then called

Mission San Jose, California, on May 17, 1915.^[2] Her family operated a farm.^[2] She received her bachelor's degree in education from San Jose State University and a master's degree from the University of California, Berkeley, also in education.^[2]

She met her future husband, Edwin H. Wood, a member of the

surfer, while studying in Hawaii during the summer.^[2] He visited her at her family's farm while travelling back to New York, but he decided to stay in California with her instead of continuing to the East Coast.^[2] The couple soon married and had one son, Ed Wood.^[2] Her husband died in 1977.^[2]

In 1943, Lorette Wood moved with her family to Santa Cruz, California, where she resided for the rest of her life.[2] The move was due to Edwin Woods job; he originally worked for Pacific Oil and Burner in Monterey, California. However, the company opened a new branch office in Santa Cruz, necessitating the family's relocation.^[2]

Political career

Lorette Wood first became engaged in local Santa Cruz politics during the middle of the 1940s. A teacher by profession, Wood argued against the local Santa Cruz

pregnant.^[2] Wood noted that the policy lead to the unnecessary loss of qualified educators in the school district.^[2]

Wood's involvement in the controversy led her to become president of the

Parent-Teacher Association (PTA).^[2]

She soon began campaigning with and supporting local political candidates in Santa Cruz.

Wood, a member of the Republican Party, was first elected to the Santa Cruz city council in 1967, becoming the city's first female councilwoman.^[2] In 1971, the city council further appointed Wood as Santa Cruz's first female mayor.^[2] During her tenure within the city council and mayor's office, Wood openly collaborated with and supported the newly opened University of California, Santa Cruz, whose influence gradually shifted the city's politics in a more progressive direction.^[2]

She retired from the city council in 1975.^[2] A woman's rights advocate, Wood was an active member of Planned Parenthood's Santa Cruz chapter.^[2]

Lorette Wood died on April 20, 2010, at the age of 94.^[2] She was survived by her son, Ed Wood, and granddaughter, Kelsey Phillips.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "City of Santa Cruz City Councils and Mayors, 1970-1999". Santa Cruz Public Libraries. Archived from the original on 2009-11-30. Retrieved 2010-05-16.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t Bookwalter, Genevieve (2010-04-23). "Lorette Wood, Santa Cruz's first female mayor, dies at 94". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2011-06-11. Retrieved 2010-05-15.

[scpl-1] "City of Santa Cruz City Councils and Mayors, 1970-1999". Santa Cruz Public Libraries. Archived from the original on 2009-11-30. Retrieved 2010-05-16.

[santacruzsentinel-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t Bookwalter, Genevieve (2010-04-23). "Lorette Wood, Santa Cruz's first female mayor, dies at 94". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2011-06-11. Retrieved 2010-05-15.

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