Franklin, Shirley, 1945-

Shirley Clarke Franklin (born May 10, 1945) is an American educator and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as the 58th Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, the fourth African American and first woman to serve as the city's mayor.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she graduated from the Philadelphia High School for Girls. before earning a B.A. degree in sociology from Howard University and an M.A. degree, also in sociology, from the University of Pennsylvania. After teaching political science at Talladega College in Alabama for nearly a decade, Shirley Clarke Franklin was appointed by Mayor Maynard Jackson to the post of Commissioner of Cultural Affairs for the City of Atlanta in 1978. When Jackson was succeeded by Mayor Andrew Young, she was named Chief Administrative Officer and City Manager. Franklin gained notoriety as one of the officials who helped bring the Olympic Games to Atlanta in 1992.

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