Helen Marie Marshall ( Sargent ; September 30, 1929 – March 4, 2017) was an American politician from New York City. She was Borough President of Queens from 2002 - 2013. She was also the first African-American Borough President of Queens.

Biography

Marshall was born on September 30, 1929, in the Bronx, having been raised in between both Harlem and the Bronx. Both of her parents were immigrants of African descent from British Guiana (now Guyana). She graduated with a B.A. in education from CUNY Queens College. She was a teacher for eight years. In 1969, she left teaching to become the first Director of the Langston Hughes Library in Queens. She was married to Donald Edward Marshall until his death; they had two children, Donald Jr. and Agnes Marie. She entered politics as a Democrat. She was a member of the New York State Assembly for eight years and a member of the New York City Council for ten. She was elected as Borough President of Queens in November 2001, to succeed the term-limited Claire Shulman. As Borough President, Marshall made marketing Queens as a tourist destination one of her priorities. In 2005, she won a second term, defeating her Republican/Conservative challenger Philip T. Sica with 75% of the vote to his 25%. She was inaugurated to her second term as President of the Borough of Queens on January 3, 2006, in a ceremony held at Terrace on the Park in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Marshall outlined her plans for the next four years including health care, education, housing and new park projects. In November 2009, Marshall was re-elected to a third term. In 2017, P.S. 330 was renamed the Helen M. Marshall School to honor her legacy.

Death

Marshall died on March 4, 2017, at her home in Palm Desert, California, aged 87. A widow, she was survived by her two children.