Martha Priscilla Shaw (August 29, 1904 – February 9, 1981) was an American educator and politician in the state of South Carolina. She served as mayor of Sumter, South Carolina between 1952 and 1956, thus becoming the first female mayor in South Carolina.
Early life and education Priscilla Shaw was born in 1904 in Alcolu, South Carolina, in Clarendon County to David Charles and Lula (Alderman) Shaw. Her maternal grandfather, D. W. Alderman, was a mill owner and founder of Alcolu.Sass, Herbert Ravenel. The Story of the South Carolina Lowcountry, Volume 3 J. F. Hyer, 1956, p678
She moved to Sumter in 1909, and she was educated in the Sumter Public Schools. She attended Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, for one year but ultimately graduated from the Sargent School of Physical Education, receiving her B.S. degree in 1925. She later did graduate work at Boston University in 1937.
Career Shaw taught physical education in the Sumter Public Schools from 1925 to 1939 and directed a summer camp for girls from 1929 to 1950.
Shaw became increasingly involved in service to her community and joined the Red Cross, the YWCA, and the Salvation Army, among others. Shaw was also a charter member of the local Junior Welfare League. In 1950, she was elected to the Sumter City Council, becoming the first woman to serve in that body. In 1952, she was elected Mayor of Sumter, succeeding W. E. Bynum and was sworn in on August 14, becoming the first female mayor in the entire state.News from the Southeast Empire. The Atlanta Constitution (Atlanta, Georgia) 26 Apr 1970, page 58, accessed via Newspapers.com She served in that position until August 23, 1956, and was succeeded by S.A Harvin In 1954, Shaw was one of three recipients of the national Mary Margaret McrBride award for women who have "expressed their Christian faith in active service for community improvement. She also served as a member of the Christian Social Relations Department of United Church Women.Prominent Women Receive Awards. Clovis News-Journal (Clovis, New Mexico) 20 Jun 1954, page 21, accessed via Newspapers.com
In 1955 Mayor Shaw's invitation to all of the ministers of the community to attend a joint meeting in an effort to ease racial tensions in the city met with a formal rebuff from the white ministers, who, in a joint letter, called such a meeting "not wise." Most of white ministers did not attend.
Personal life Shaw died in 1981 at the age of 76. Her brother, Lt. Ervin David Shaw, was the namesake for Shaw Air Force Base.Shaw AFB Dedicates Namesake Memorial, Florence Morning News (Florence, South Carolina) 30 May 1956, page 2, accessed via Newspapers.com
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