Juanita Goggins, 1st Black Woman Elected to SC Legislature, Dies Alone of Hypothermia

Juanita Goggins, first black woman elected to South Carolina Legislature, dies alone of hypothermia. Body found with several layers of clothing.

Juanita Goggins, 75, the first black woman elected to the South Carolina Legislature in 1974, died alone of hypothermia. Her body was reportedly found in her home on March 3. Coroner Gary Watts said she probably died on February 20. Her electricity was cut off three days later, according to WBTV. This a sad end to the life of a woman, who was considered a trailblazer.

Goggins, the youngest of 10 children, was the only sibling to earn a four-year college degree -- a bachelor's in home economics from then all-black South Carolina State College and later her master's degree. She grew up the daughter of a sharecropper in Anderson County, SC. She taught in the state's segregated schools and later entered politics. In 1972, she became the first black woman to represent South Carolina as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. Two years later, she became the first black appointed to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, according to the Associated Press. Goggins served on the House budget-writing committee and was responsible for funding sickle-cell anemia testing in county health departments, according to media reports. She also helped pass the 1977 law that is still the basis for education funding in the state. Lastly, her proposals to expand kindergarten and to reduce student-teacher ratios in the primary grades were adopted after she left politics in 1980, citing health issues.

Police found her body two weeks after she was last seen. Her landlord reportedly contacted police after a next-door neighbor realized he had not seen her lights on in some time. The coroner also said there were signs of dementia. She was found wearing several layers of clothing due to a cold snap, though her heat was working at the time, reports have confirmed. She became reclusive and shunned outside assistance. According to media reports, her son, Horace Goggins Jr., 42, said he last saw her about six months ago and she would not allow him to help her. This is a sad end to a life that bore so much fruit.