{{Short description|American politician (born 1946)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Shirley M. Kitchen | image = | image_size = | alt = | caption = | state_senate = Pennsylvania | district = 3rd | term_start = {{start date|1996|11|18}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Cox |first=Harold |title=Pennsylvania Senate - 1995-1996 |work=Wilkes University Election Statistics Project |publisher=Wilkes University |year=2004 |url=http://staffweb.wilkes.edu/harold.cox/legis/179S.pdf}}</ref> | term_end = {{end date|2016|11|30}} | predecessor = Roxanne Jones | successor = Sharif Street | state_house2 = Pennsylvania | district2 = 181st | term_start2 = {{start date|1987|11|17}} | term_end2 = {{end date|1988|11|30}} | predecessor2 = Alphonso Deal | successor2 = W. Curtis Thomas | party = Democratic | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1946|9|18}} | birth_place = Augusta, Georgia | alma_mater = Temple University, Antioch University | occupation = | spouse = Divorced | website = }}

'''Shirley M. Kitchen''' (born September 18, 1946) is an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 181st district from 1987 through 1988 and the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 3rd District from 1996 to 2016. She is the second African-American woman to serve in the Pennsylvania Senate.<ref name=Persinger/>

==Early life and education== Kitchen was born in Augusta, Georgia. She graduated from Antioch University in 1979 with a bachelor's degree in Human Services and attended Temple University. She received certificates in Child Care, Behavior Modification and Economic Development from Temple.<ref name=bio>{{cite web |title=Shirley M. Kitchen |url=https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/BiosHistory/MemBio.cfm?ID=7907&body=S |website=www.legis.state.pa.us |access-date=January 28, 2019}}</ref>

==Career== She worked as a poll worker in the City of Philadelphia from 1970 to 1976, as a social worker for the County of Philadelphia and as the Director of Constituent Services for the Philadelphia City Council from 1986 to 1987.

She was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 181 in November 1987 and served through 1988.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pennsylvania House of Representatives Shirley M. Kitchen Biography |url=https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/BiosHistory/MemBio.cfm?ID=278&body=H |website=www.legis.state.pa.us |access-date=February 1, 2019}}</ref> She was elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 3rd district in November 1996 in a special election to succeed Roxanne Jones who died in office. She served until November 2016 when she retired from the Pennsylvania State Senate.<ref name=bio/> She was the second African-American woman to serve in the Pennsylvania State Senate and at the time of her retirement, was the only African-American woman member of the Senate.<ref name=Persinger>{{cite web |last1=Persinger |first1=Ryanne |title=Sen. Shirley Kitchen retires after more than 20 years in office |url=http://www.phillytrib.com/news/sen-shirley-kitchen-retires-after-more-than-years-in-office/article_83587b9c-e316-5c86-a656-f8fca347cdd5.html |website=www.phillytrib.com |date=August 30, 2016 |access-date=February 1, 2019}}</ref>

She worked as the Manager for the Management Information Systems Department of the Philadelphia Parking Authority from 1990 to 1992 and as Director of Constituent Services for the Philadelphia City Council from 1992 to 1996.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Shirley_Kitchen |title=Shirley Kitchen - Ballotpedia |access-date=November 11, 2016}}</ref>

== Ward leader == Kitchen is the Ward Leader of the 20th Ward Democratic Executive Committee.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.seventy.org/Downloads/2009_Citizen's_Guide.pdf |title=2009 Citizen's Guide |access-date=December 21, 2009 |last=Committee of Seventy |author-link=Committee of Seventy |date=December 21, 2009 |publisher=The Committee of Seventy, Philadelphia, PA 19103 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090419063456/http://seventy.org/Downloads/2009_Citizen%27s_Guide.pdf |archive-date=April 19, 2009}}</ref>

== 2015 Legislative Action == Throughout 2015, she worked in the following committees:<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/senate_bio.cfm?id=278 |title=Senator Shirley M. Kitchen |last=Legislativate Data Processing Center |website=The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. |access-date=November 11, 2016}}</ref> * Public Health and Welfare * Agricultural and Rural Affairs * Transportation * Urban Affairs and Housing

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.senatorkitchen.com/ Senator Kitchen] '''official Caucus website''' *[http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/senate_bio.cfm?id=278 Pennsylvania State Senate - Shirley M. Kitchen] ''official PA Senate website'' *[http://votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=15130 Project Vote Smart - Senator Shirley M. Kitchen (PA)] profile *''Follow the Money'' - Shirley M. Kitchen **[http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=88345 2006], [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=64914 2004], [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=62818 2002], and [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=62128 2000] campaign contributions

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kitchen, Shirley M.}} Category:1946 births Category:20th-century American women politicians Category:21st-century American women politicians Category:21st-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly Category:African-American state legislators in Pennsylvania Category:21st-century African-American women politicians Category:20th-century African-American women politicians Category:Antioch University alumni Category:Living people Category:Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Category:Pennsylvania state senators Category:Politicians from Augusta, Georgia Category:Politicians from Philadelphia Category:Temple University alumni Category:Women state legislators in Pennsylvania Category:20th-century African-American politicians Category:21st-century African-American politicians Category:20th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly