Deaths on January 30

Georgia Davis Powers, American activist and politician (b. 1923)

Georgia Davis Powers (née Montgomery; October 19, 1923 – January 30, 2016) was an American politician who served for 21 years as a state senator in the Kentucky Senate. In 1967, she was the first person of color and the first woman elected to the senate. During her term, she was "regarded as the leading advocate for blacks, women, children, the poor, and the handicapped," and was the chair of the Health and Welfare committee from 1970–76 and the Labor and Industry committee from 1978-88.Powers attended the Louisville Municipal College, worked for organizations concerning civil and equal rights, and received an honorary doctorates from the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville, among other honors. She died in 2016 of congestive heart failure.