Geraldine Thompson
| Geraldine Thompson | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Member of the Florida Senate from the 12th district |
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In office November 6, 2012 – November 8, 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Redistricted |
| Succeeded by | Redistricted |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 39th district |
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In office November 7, 2006 – November 6, 2012 |
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| Preceded by | Bruce Antone |
| Succeeded by | Redistricted |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 18, 1948 New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater |
Miami-Dade Community College (A.A.) University of Miami (B.Ed.) Florida State University (M.S.) |
| Profession | Educator |
Geraldine F. Thompson (born on November 18, 1948) is a Democratic politician who served as a member of the Florida State Senate from 2012 to 2016, representing parts of Orlando and western Orange County. She previously served three terms in the Florida House of Representatives, from 2006 to 2012. Thompson was a candidate for Florida's 10th congressional district in 2016, but lost in the Democratic primary to Val Demings.
Thompson was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and moved to the state of Florida in 1955, where she grew up in the town of Perrine where members of her family worked in agriculture and construction. She attended Miami-Dade Community College and received a scholarship to attend the University of Miami in Coral Gables, where she enrolled shortly after that school ended racial segregation. In 1970, she received a bachelor’s degree with honors in journalism and business education. She moved with her husband, Emerson, to Tallahassee, where he attended law school and she worked in state government and higher education. Her first position in Tallahassee was as Executive Secretary to Representative Gwendolyn Sawyer Cherry, the first African American woman to serve in the Florida House of Representatives. After working for several years, she sought a Master of Science degree in Communication from Florida State University, which she received in 1973. She then joined her husband in Orlando. She began work as a teacher in Orange County Public Schools. After six years, she left the classroom to accept a position as Director of the Equal Opportunity Office at Valencia Community College where she served for 24 years as Assistant to the President.
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