Lola Spradley

Lola Spradley (born June 28, 1946)[1] is an American politician from Colorado. She served as Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives from 2003–2005, the first woman elected to the position.[1]

Lola Spradley
53rd Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives
In office January 8, 2003 – January 12, 2005
Preceded by	Doug Dean
Succeeded by	Andrew Romanoff
Majority Leader of the Colorado House of Representatives
In office January 10, 2001 – January 8, 2003
Preceded by	Doug Dean
Succeeded by	Keith King
Member of the Colorado House of Representatives from the 60th district
In office January 8, 2003 – January 12, 2005
Preceded by	Jim Snook
Succeeded by	Tom Massey
Member of the Colorado House of Representatives from the 44th district
In office September 5, 1997 – January 8, 2003
Preceded by	Larry Schwarz
Succeeded by	Mike May
Personal details
Born	(1946-06-28) June 28, 1946 Burlington, Colorado, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Education	B.S. in business administration from Regis University, 1992

Early life

Born Lola Fox in Burlington, Colorado, she was brought up along with her six brothers and sisters on a farm near Raymer, Colorado. She graduated from Fort Morgan High School in 1964 and then had a 29-year career with AT&T, starting as an operator and retiring as an assistant vice president.[2]

Colorado House of Representatives career

In September 1997, a vacancy committee appointed Spradley, who then resided in Beulah, to represent House District 44 (Custer, Fremont, Pueblo, and Teller counties) in the Colorado House of Representatives following the resignation of Larry Schwarz.[3] She was later elected to represent the district in 1998 and re-elected in 2000. Following reapportionment in 2002, she was elected to represent House District 60.

During her time in the Colorado House of Representatives, Spradley, a Republican, held three leadership positions: Assistant Majority Leader, Majority Leader, and Speaker. She also served on the Executive Committee of Legislative Council and on the Legislative Council itself.[1]

Life after the Colorado State House

After serving in the House of Representatives, Spradley and her husband retired to Huerfano County. She continues her civic involvement, volunteering to serve on boards and commissions, such as the Huerfano County Historical Society board[2] and the 3rd Judicial District Performance Commission, to which she was appointed by the governor.[4] She also serves on the Huerfano County Economic Development Board of Directors,[5] and in 2018 Spradley was elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the Huerfano County Hospital District,[6] which operates the Spanish Peaks Regional Health Center west of Walsenburg.

See also

• List of female speakers of legislatures in the United States

References

1. Presidents and speakers of the Colorado General Assembly: A biographical portrait from 1876 (PDF) (Revised ed.). Denver, Colorado: Colorado Legislative Council. 2013. p. 124.
2. "Meet Lola Spradley". Huerfano World Journal. 2014-11-26. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
3. "Rep. Lola Spradley". Legispeak. 2015.
4. "Governor picks Spradley, Vezzani". The Pueblo Chieftain. 2018-01-18. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
5. "Huerfano County Economic Development Incorporated, Current Board Members". Colorado Official State Web Portal. State of Colorado. Retrieved 2018-09-21. co-President Lola Spradley.
6. "Huerfano County Hospital District — Board Of Directors". Spanish Peaks Regional Health Center. Retrieved 2018-09-21. Lola Spradley, Treasurer, Elected Term: May 2018—May 2022.