Frederica Wilson
| Frederica Wilson | |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 24th district |
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Assumed office January 3, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Sandy Adams |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 17th district |
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In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Kendrick Meek |
| Succeeded by | Tom Rooney |
| Member of the Florida Senate from the 33rd district |
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In office 2003–2010 |
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| Preceded by | Kendrick Meek |
| Succeeded by | Oscar Braynon |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 104th district |
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In office 1998–2002 |
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| Preceded by | Kendrick Meek |
| Succeeded by | Yolly Roberson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Frederica Patricia Smith November 5, 1942 Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Paul Wilson (m. 1963; d. 1988) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater |
Fisk University (B.S.) University of Miami (M.S.) |
| Profession | Educator, politician |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
Frederica Smith Wilson (born Frederica Patricia Smith; November 5, 1942) is an American politician who has been a member of the United States House of Representatives since 2011. Located in South Florida, Wilson's congressional district—numbered the 17th during her first two years in Congress, and the 24th since 2013—is a majority African-American district that includes the southern parts of Broward County and the eastern parts of Miami-Dade County. Included within the district are Pembroke Pines, Hollywood, Miramar, and North Miami. She gained national attention in early 2012 as a result of her high-profile comments on the killing of Trayvon Martin.
Wilson is a member of the Democratic Party. Her seat was left open when the incumbent Kendrick Meek ran for a seat in the Senate in 2010.
Wilson is known for her large and colorful hats, of which she owns several hundred. She has gone through efforts to get Congress to lift its ban on head coverings during House sessions, which dates back to 1837.
Wilson was born Frederica Smith on November 5, 1942 in Miami, Florida, the daughter of Beulah (née Finley) and Thirlee Smith. Her maternal grandparents were Bahamian. Wilson earned her bachelor of arts degree from Fisk University in 1963, and her master of arts degree from the University of Miami in 1972. She served as the Principal of Skyway Elementary School in Miami. She served on the Miami-Dade County School Board from 1992 through 1998.
Wilson represented District 104 in the Florida House of Representatives from 1999 to 2002. She then represented the 33rd District in the Florida Senate from 2003 to 2010. She served as Minority Pro Tempore in 2006, then Minority Lead Whip.
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