{{Short description|American politician (born 1943)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2022}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Elizabeth Bobo | image = Elizabeth Bobo (2007).jpg | caption = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1943|12|21|mf=y}} | birth_place = Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | state_delegate = Maryland | district = 12B | term_start = January 11, 1995 | term_end = January 14, 2015 | predecessor = Kenneth H. Masters<br>Louis P. Morsberger<ref>{{Cite web |title=Volume 186 Index - Maryland Manual, 1994-95 |url=https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc2900/sc2908/000001/000186/html/index.html |access-date=2023-05-16 |website=msa.maryland.gov}}</ref> | successor = Eric Ebersole,<br>Terri Hill,<br>Clarence Lam | office2 = 5th County Executive of Howard County, Maryland | term_start2 = December 1, 1986 | term_end2 = December 3, 1990 | predecessor2 = William E. Eckel | succeeding2 = | successor2 = Charles I. Ecker | constituency = Howard County | party = Democratic | education = Seton High School<br>University of Maryland University College (BA)<br>University of Maryland School of Law (JD) | occupation = Attorney | majority = | relations = | spouse = Lloyd G. Knowles | children = | footnotes = | office3 = Member, Howard County Council | term_start3 = October 1977 | term_end3 = December 1, 1986 }} '''Elizabeth Bobo''' (born December 21, 1943) is an American politician from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. She served as Howard County Executive and in the Maryland House of Delegates. Bobo was the first and only female Howard County Executive, serving from 1986 to 1990.
==Early life and law career== Bobo was born in Baltimore on December 21, 1943. She graduated from Seton High School in Baltimore before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in literature from the University of Maryland University College and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Maryland School of Law. Bobo was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1992 and practiced as an attorney before her election to the House of Delegates.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Elizabeth Bobo, Maryland State Delegate |url=https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/06hse/former/html/msa12188.html |access-date=2023-05-16 |website=msa.maryland.gov}}</ref>
==Political career== Bobo served one term as Howard County Executive from 1986 to 1990. She was Howard County's first and only female executive.<ref name="Longtime Howard politician Liz Bobo to retire in 2014">{{cite news |url = http://www.baltimoresun.com/ |title = Longtime Howard politician Liz Bobo to retire in 2014 |last=McPherson |first=Lindsey |date=September 4, 2012 |newspaper = Baltimore Sun |access-date = December 21, 2016 }}</ref> In 1987, Bobo partnered with developer Kingdon Gould III to form a business outreach program.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=19 November 1987|title=HOWARD COUNTY NOTES|author=Janice Howard}}</ref> Charles I. Ecker defeated Bobo's bid for reelection as county executive in 1990. In 1993, Bobo married former planning board member and councilperson Lloyd G. Knowles.
In 1994, Bobo was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates. She served four terms there, representing District 12B in Howard County.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Washington Post|title=Liberation Of a Liberal: Md.'s Bobo Comfortable Sitting on Back Bench|date=6 April 1990|author=Scott Wilson}}</ref>
As a member of the House of Delegates, Bobo voted in favor of increasing the sales tax whilst simultaneously reducing income tax rates for some income brackets in the Tax Reform Act of 2007 (HB2).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mdchamber.org/docs/ss_hb2.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2007-07-13 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209113112/http://www.mdchamber.org/docs/ss_hb2.pdf |archivedate=2012-02-09 }}</ref> She voted in favor of in-state tuition for illegal immigrants in 2007 (HB6).<ref>[http://mlis.state.md.us/2007RS/votes/house/0690.htm 2007 votes] mlis.state.md.us {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408222017/http://mlis.state.md.us/2007RS/votes/house/0690.htm |date=April 8, 2016 }}</ref> She served on the Environmental Matters Committee, and was noted for distinguishing herself as an advocate for protection of the natural environment.<ref name="Longtime Howard politician Liz Bobo to retire in 2014"/>
During the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries, Bobo supported the candidacy of Barack Obama.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2008/02/08/bobo-ulman-back-obama/ |title=Bobo, Ulman back Obama |last=Carson |first=Larry |date=February 8, 2008 |newspaper=Baltimore Sun |access-date=December 17, 2016}}</ref> She served as one of the state's ten electors pledged to Obama in the general election, and cast her vote for him along with the other nine on December 15.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://elections.maryland.gov/elections/2008/2008_electors.html |last=Appleman |first=Eric M. |title=2008 Presidential Electors |publisher= Maryland State Board of Elections |access-date=December 17, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www2.gwu.edu/~action/2008/photos08/photo121508ec.html |title=December 15, 2008--Electoral College Votes |publisher= Democracy in Action |access-date=December 20, 2016}}</ref>
In 2012, Bobo announced her decision not to seek reelection in 2014.<ref name="Longtime Howard politician Liz Bobo to retire in 2014"/>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{HowardCountyExec}} {{Maryland Women's Hall of Fame}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bobo, Elizabeth}} Category:Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates Category:1943 births Category:Living people Category:University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law alumni Category:Women state legislators in Maryland Category:University of Maryland Global Campus alumni Category:People from Columbia, Maryland Category:2008 United States presidential electors Category:21st-century American women politicians Category:Howard County executives Category:Seton Keough High School alumni Category:County commissioners in Maryland Category:20th-century members of the Maryland General Assembly Category:21st-century members of the Maryland General Assembly Category:20th-century American women politicians