Harriet Elizabeth “Liz” Byrd: Wyoming’s First Black Woman In The House

As many know, February is known as Black History Month. We have yet another Wyoming citizen who made their way into state government, which we'll highlight here today.

Representative "Liz" Byrd was born Harriet Elizabeth Rhone was born on April 20, 1926 in Cheyenne Wyoming. Her father, Robert C. "Buck" Rhone was a first class mechanic on the Union Pacific Railroad.

Mrs. Byrd's grandfather settled in the Cowboy State back in 1876, so she came from a long line of families in Wyoming.

She was elected to the Wyoming House of Representatives, District 44 in 1981 and held that office until 1988. She was then elected to the Wyoming Senate in 1988, representing District 8 and left office in 1992.

During her time in office, she was able to get law makers to recognize Martin Luther King Jr Day in Wyoming, however Wyoming law makers only agreed to recognize the day if it was entitled "Equality Day."

Harriet Elizabeth "Liz" Byrd passed away on January 27, 2015 at the age of 88.