Paula Hawkins (politician)

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Paula Hawkins (née Fickes; January 24, 1927 – December 4, 2009) was an American politician and community activist who represented the state of Florida in the United States Senate from 1981 to 1987. A member of the Republican Party, she was Florida's first female U.S. senator and the only woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate from Florida, as of 2025. She was the first woman elected to a full Senate term without being the daughter or wife of a politician, and the second woman ever elected to the Senate from the American South. She was also the first Mormon woman elected to the Senate. Born in Utah and raised primarily in Georgia, Hawkins moved to Florida in 1955. After beginning her career as a community activist and Republican volunteer, she was elected statewide to the Florida Public Service Commission in 1972 and re-elected in 1976. In 1974, Hawkins was the runner-up in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate. In 1978, she was the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor; selected as...

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