Shirley Franklin

Shirley Franklin

Shirley Clarke Franklin (born May 10, 1945) is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and served as mayor of Atlanta, Georgia from 2002 to 2010. According to a DNA analysis, she descended, mainly, from people of Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone. She currently serves as a member on the board of directors for both Delta Air Lines and Mueller Water Products.

The 58th mayor of Atlanta, she was the first female to hold the post and became the first black woman to be elected mayor of any major Southern city. Franklin was Atlanta's fourth black mayor. In July 2009, Mayor Franklin (along with Frances Townsend and Judge William H. Webster) was appointed to an ad hoc Department of Homeland Security special task force for 60-day review of the Homeland Security Advisory System.