{{short description|American politician (born 1956)}} {{Multiple issues| {{BLP sources|date=July 2008}} {{update|date=May 2025}} }} {{Infobox officeholder | image = | honorific_prefix = | name = Elizabeth Coggs | honorific_suffix = | caption = | state = Wisconsin | state_assembly = Wisconsin | district = 10th | term_start = January 3, 2011 | term_end = January 7, 2013 | predecessor = Annette Polly Williams | successor = Sandy Pasch | party = Democratic | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1956|12|4}} | birth_place = Belzoni, Mississippi, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = {{marriage|Wendell Jones||2008|end=div}} | children = 3 | father = Isaac N. Coggs | mother = Marcia Priscilla Young Coggs | relatives = Spencer Coggs (cousin) | website = [https://twitter.com/emcoggs Twitter] }}
'''Elizabeth Monette "Beth" Coggs''' (born December 4, 1956) is an American community organizer and Democratic politician from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She served one term in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the 10th Assembly district from 2011 to 2013. She previously served 12 years on the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, from 1988 to 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://legis.wisconsin.gov/w3asp/contact/legislatorpages.aspx?house=Assembly&district=10&display=bio |title=Wisconsin State Legislature |access-date=2011-02-21 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110226214716/http://legis.wisconsin.gov/w3asp/contact/legislatorpages.aspx?house=Assembly&district=10&display=bio |archive-date=2011-02-26 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=99128 Elizabeth Coggs' Biography], Vote Smart. Retrieved May 1, 2017.</ref> Both of her parents, Isaac N. Coggs and Marcia P. Coggs, also served in the State Assembly. Her cousin, Spencer Coggs, also served in the Assembly and the Wisconsin Senate.
She was previously known as '''Elizabeth Coggs-Jones''' during her marriage to Wendell Jones.
==Background== {{BLP unreferenced section|date=June 2025}} Elizabeth Monette Coggs was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Coggs is a lifelong Milwaukee resident. Her father, Isaac Newton Coggs, was one of the third African-Americans elected to the State Assembly (in 1952) and the first African American elected to the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors (in 1964). Her mother, Marcia Priscilla Young Coggs, was the first African-American woman elected to Wisconsin State Assembly (in 1976). Elizabeth graduated from Lincoln High School, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in African-American studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
==Politics==
===Milwaukee County Board=== She was first elected a county supervisor in 1988, being re-elected from 1992 to 2008. As of 2010 she was the longest-serving member of the County Board.<ref>Shultze, Steve. "[http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/112319509.html Special election for Coggs' County Board seat is April 5]", ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', December 22, 2010.</ref>
===State Assembly=== In 2010 she defeated two other candidates, Stephanie Findley and Sherman Hill to win the primary election for the State Assembly, in the 10th District after Annette Polly Williams announced that she was not running for election.<ref>Tolan, Tom. "[http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/102925279.html Coggs wins nomination for Williams' seat in Assembly]", ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', September 14, 2010.</ref>
Her only opponent was independent Ieshuh Griffin, who attracted national attention (including an appearance on ''The Daily Show'') for eventually unsuccessful efforts to label herself as "NOT the 'whiteman's bitch'" (utilizing a state rule that allows independent candidates to use a five-word statement of purpose on the ballot to categorize themselves) on the election ballot.<ref>Stein, Jason and Patrick Marley. "[http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/100029604.html Court rejects candidate's lawsuit over ballot slogan:Federal judge doesn't rule on merits of case]", ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', August 5, 2010.</ref> Coggs received 15,874 votes; Griffin 1223.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://gab.wi.gov/sites/default/files/2010%20Fall%20General%20Election%20Results%20Summary.pdf |title=Wisconsin Government Accountability Board 2010 election results report |access-date=2010-12-28 |archive-date=2011-03-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110302034035/http://gab.wi.gov/sites/default/files/2010%20Fall%20General%20Election%20Results%20Summary.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
2010 See also: Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2010 Coggs defeated Independent Ieshuh Griffin in the November 2 general election. Coggs was opposed in the primary election by Stephanie Findley and Sherman Hill.[7]
Wisconsin State Assembly, District 10 General Election (2010)
Candidates Votes *Elizabeth Coggs (D) 15,874 *Ieshuh Griffin (I) 1,223
Wisconsin State Assembly, District 10 Democratic primary (2010) Candidates Votes Percent *Elizabeth M. Coggs (D) 2,613 66.45% *Stephanie Findley (D) 1,039 26.42% *Sherman L. Hill (D) 268 6.82%
Campaign themes According to Coggs' campaign website, her focus is on faith, hope and harmony.[8]
Committee assignments 2011–2012 In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Coggs served on these committees: *Aging and Long-Term Care Committee *Consumer Protection Committee *Urban and Local Affairs Committee
===State Senate=== In 2012, instead of running for re-election to the Assembly, she chose to run for the vacant Sixth Senate district, previously held by her cousin Spencer Coggs. Her July 2012 call to the mostly-black voters at an inner-city candidate forum to "vote for someone who looks like you" led to accusations that she was attacking Assemblywoman Sandy Pasch, the only white candidate in the race to replace Coggs in her 10th Assembly district seat (Pasch's current seat was eliminated by the Republican-led legislature during the most recent redistricting, and she had moved into the new 10th district). All her opponents were African-American, but several African-American candidates at the forum decried Coggs' remarks as racist. None of Pasch's opponents had held elected office. "I don't think anyone should vote for anyone on account of their skin color", opponent Ieshuh Griffin said of Coggs' remarks. "It's not about color."<ref>Stephenson, Crocker. [http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/coggs-starts-debate-with-looks-like-you-quote-3i69h6e-164166306.html "Coggs' 'looks like you' quote starts debate; Advice to voters irritates some at candidate forum]", ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', July 28, 2012</ref>
Coggs' predecessor, Polly Williams, describing Pasch as "a White suburban woman" who "can't win in her own district", expressed concern that inner-city seats such as hers could be lost to white Democrats due to alleged machinations by "non-Black forces from outside the community".<ref>Mitchell, Thomas E., Jr. [http://www.communityjournal.net/williams-we-have-to-fight-to-keep-control-of-the-seats-we-have/ "Williams: 'We have to fight to keep control of the seats we have'; Former legislator urges community support Black candidates during August 14 election] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304082629/http://communityjournal.net/williams-we-have-to-fight-to-keep-control-of-the-seats-we-have/|date=2016-03-04}}", ''Milwaukee Community Journal'', July 20, 2012</ref> She lost the Democratic primary (tantamount to election in this inner-city seat) to County Supervisor Nikiya Harris.<ref>Henzl, Ann-Elise. "[http://www.wuwm.com/news/wuwm_news.php?articleid=10979 Nikiya Harris wins Bid for Spencer Coggs' Senate Seat] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019034034/http://wuwm.com/news/wuwm_news.php?articleid=10979 |date=2014-10-19 }}" ''WUWM'' August 14, 2012</ref> The 10th district Democratic nomination was taken by Pasch, with over 60% of the vote.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbs58.com/news/election-results|title=CBS 58 Election Results|work=WDJT-TV|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023051105/http://www.cbs58.com/news/election-results|archive-date=October 23, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Personal life== Elizabeth Coggs was married to Wendell Jones (they divorced in 2008<ref>Bice, Daniel. "[http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/noquarter/37421089.html No Quarter:Family feud]" ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', January 11, 2009.</ref>), and is the mother of Priscilla, Chloé and Devona. She belongs to the Church of God in Christ. Another cousin, Leon Young, was a state legislator.
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20120213192722/http://legis.wisconsin.gov/assembly/coggs/Pages/default.aspx Official assembly website]
{{s-start}} {{s-par|us-wi-hs}} {{s-bef|before = Annette Polly Williams }} {{s-ttl|title = {{nowrap|Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly}} {{nowrap|from the 10th district}} |years= January 3, 2011{{spnd}}January 7, 2013 }} {{s-aft|after = Sandy Pasch }} {{s-end}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coggs, Elizabeth M.}} Category:Living people Category:1956 births Category:African-American state legislators in Wisconsin Category:County supervisors in Wisconsin Category:Politicians from Milwaukee Category:University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee alumni Category:Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Category:Women state legislators in Wisconsin Category:21st-century American women politicians Category:21st-century African-American women politicians Category:21st-century African-American politicians Category:20th-century African-American politicians Category:20th-century African-American women politicians Category:20th-century American women politicians Category:21st-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature