Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Sen. Sokola & Sen. Ennis & Sen. Lockman & Sen. Townsend & Rep. Longhurst & Rep. Mitchell & Rep. Schwartzkopf

Sens. Bonini, Brown, Gay, Hansen, Hocker, Lawson, Lopez, Mantzavinos, S. McBride, Paradee, Pettyjohn, Pinkney, Poore, Richardson, Sturgeon, Walsh, Wilson; Reps. Baumbach, Bennett, Bentz, Bolden, Brady, Briggs King, Bush, Carson, Chukwuocha, Collins, Dorsey Walker, Gray, Griffith, Heffernan, K. Johnson, Kowalko, Matthews, Minor-Brown, S. Moore, Morris, Morrison, Osienski, Postles, Ramone, D. Short, Shupe, Smyk, Spiegelman, Vanderwende, K. Williams, Wilson-Anton, Yearick

DELAWARE STATE SENATE

151st GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 66

HONORING THE MEMORY AND SERVICE OF THE HONORABLE RUTH ANN MINNER, FORMER GOVERNOR OF DELAWARE.

WHEREAS, The Honorable Ruth Ann Minner, Delaware's first female governor, departed this life peacefully and surrounded by family on November 4, 2021; and

WHEREAS, Governor Minner was raised near Milford and left high school at the age of 16 to work on the family farm; and

WHEREAS, she later married Frank Ingram and had three children, Gary, Frank, and Wayne Ingram; and

WHEREAS, when Frank Ingram passed away suddenly, Governor Minner become a young, single mother at the age of 32; and

WHEREAS, after finding a job to support her family, she discovered she needed a man’s signature to obtain a car loan in order to purchase a car; and

WHEREAS, this experience was impactful, leading Governor Minner to pursue a career in policy change and public service; and

WHEREAS, Governor Minner went on to earn her GED in 1968 and later attended Delaware Technical Community College while working two jobs to support her family; and

WHEREAS, in 1969, she married Robert Minner, and the two operated a towing business together prior to Robert’s death in 1991; and

WHEREAS, Governor Minner started her career in politics as an aide in the Delaware House of Representatives and as a receptionist in the office of former Delaware Governor Sherman Tribbit; and

WHEREAS, she was elected to the Delaware House of Representatives in 1974 and served for four terms before being elected to the Delaware State Senate in 1982; and

WHEREAS, in 1992, she became Delaware’s first female lieutenant governor, serving for eight years; and

WHEREAS, she was elected the Governor of Delaware in 2000, a position she held until January 2009; and

WHEREAS, throughout her career in public service, Governor Minner advocated for education, health care, and the environment; and

WHEREAS, Governor Minner signed landmark legislation creating the SEED (Student Excellence Equals Degree) Scholarship Program, which made Delaware the first state to offer free college access for students; and

WHEREAS, she also signed legislation to pilot full-day kindergarten in Delaware and fought to place reading specialists in every elementary school and math specialists in every middle school; and

WHEREAS, Governor Minner signed farmland and forest land preservation bills into law to help preserve the rich agricultural heritage of Delaware; and

WHEREAS, to protect the health of Delawareans, she signed the Clean Indoor Air Act, banning smoking in most public indoor places, including restaurants, bars, and casinos; and

WHEREAS, Governor Minner was a trailblazer for women across the state, and was never afraid to stand her ground and make difficult decisions for the benefit of all Delawareans; and

WHEREAS, she remained dedicated to her strong family values and was always supportive of all working parents on her staff.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the 151st General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the House of Representatives concurring therein, that the State of Delaware remembers and honors the life and service of Governor Ruth Ann Minner.