# Shirley Nathan-Pulliam

Shirley Nathan-Pulliam (born May 20, 1939) is a former American politician from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. She was the first African-Caribbean woman to be elected to the Maryland General Assembly. Pulliam resigned in 2019 due to poor health.

## Background

Nathan-Pulliam was born in Trelawny, Jamaica on May 20, 1939. She attended Park Hospital School of Nursing in Yorkshire, England. While studying there she met her husband, a member of the United States Army, they married and moved to Baltimore, Maryland, in 1960.
She earned her bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Maryland at Baltimore in 1980 and a master's degree in administrative science from the Johns Hopkins University in 1984. In addition to owning her own business, she has been a faculty associate in nursing for Johns Hopkins. Before being elected in 1994, Nathan-Pulliam was active with Democratic Party organizations at the state and national level, as well as with Planned Parenthood of Maryland and various professional nursing organizations. Nathan-Pulliam has received a number of awards for her advocacy on health care.

## In the Legislature

Nathan-Pulliam represented Maryland's 44th Legislative District—located in parts of Baltimore County and Baltimore City—while in the Maryland General Assembly. She was a member of the Education Health and Environmental Affairs Committee. While in the Maryland House of Delegates, Nathan-Pulliam served as a deputy majority whip and as a member of the Health and Government Operations Committee. She was also a member of both the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland and of Women Legislators of Maryland.

### Legislative notes

* voted for income tax reduction in 1998 (SB750)
* voted in favor of increasing the sales tax whilst simultaneously reducing income tax rates for some income brackets - Tax Reform Act of 2007(HB2)
* voted in favor of in-state tuition for individuals who are not permanent residents, under certain conditions - Higher Education -Tuition Charges -Maryland High School Students, 2007 (HB6)

## Retirement

Senator Pulliam did not run in the 2020 elections because of health concerns. On January 30, 2023, her name was placed on the facade of the newest multi-million-dollar wing of the University of Maryland Nursing school. On May 18, 2023, she accepted an honorary Doctor of Public Service Degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

## Election results
### 1994 General election results District 10

       Voters to choose three:
    NameVotesPercentOutcome Clifford H. Andrews4,0396%Lost Emmett C. Burns Jr.17,63727%Won Shirley Nathan-Pulliam17,41126%Won Beverly E. Goldstein5,5358%Lost Clifton McDonald4,3217%Lost Joan N. Parker16,91926%Won

### 1998 General election results District 10

       Voters to choose three:
    NameVotesPercentOutcome Emmett C. Burns Jr.23,20336%Won Adrienne A. Jones20,67632%Won Shirley Nathan-Pulliam21,34833%Won

### 2002 General election results District 10

       Voters to choose three:
    NameVotesPercentOutcome Emmett C. Burns Jr.27,92131.52%Won Adrienne A. Jones25,65528.96%Won Shirley Nathan-Pulliam26,26929.66%Won

### 2006 General election results District 10

       Voters to choose three:
    Name Votes Percent Outcome Emmett C. Burns, Jr. 29,140  34.2%  Won Adrienne A. Jones 27,064  31.8%  Won Shirley Nathan-Pulliam 28,544  33.5%  Won Other Write-Ins 370  0.4%

### 2010 General election results District 10

       Voters to choose three:
    NameVotesPercentOutcome Emmett C. Burns Jr.31,51331.60%Won Brian C Eybs (Write In)160.00%Lost Adrienne A. Jones29,71929.80%Won Shirley Nathan-Pulliam31,39931.50%Won Jeanne L. Turnock6,8376.90%Lost Michael Tyrone Brown, Sr. (Write In)90.00%Lost Frederick Ware-Newsome (Write In)110.00%Lost Other Write-Ins2960.30%N/A

### 2014 General election results District 44

       Voters to choose one:
    NameVotesPercentOutcome Shirley Nathan-Pulliam26,26180.2%Won Bernard Reiter6,41219.6%Lost Other Write-Ins510.2%N/A

### 2018 General election results District 44

       Voters to choose one:
    NameVotesPercentOutcome Victor Clark, Jr.6,28015.2%Lost Shirley Nathan-Pulliam34,83484.5%Won Other Write-Ins860.2%N/A