Wilson, Frederica, 1942-

Frederica Smith Wilson (born Frederica Patricia Smith, November 5, 1942) is a politician who has been a member of the United States House of Representatives since 2011, representing Florida's 24th congressional district. She gained national attention in early 2012 as a result of her high-profile comments on the death of Trayvon Martin. Wilson is a member of the Democratic Party.

Born Frederica Smith on November 5, 1942, in Miami, Florida, Wilson earned her bachelor of arts degree from Fisk University in 1963 and her master of arts degree from the University of Miami in 1972, both in elementary education. After time as a teacher and assistant educational coordinator for the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Head Start program, she served as the principal of Skyway Elementary School in Miami, which was recognized as one of the best schools in America in President George H. W. Bush’s “America 2000” plan to upgrade national education standards. In 1992 she left her position as principal to serve on the Miami-Dade County School Board.

Wilson represented the 104th district in the Florida House of Representatives from 1998 to 2002. She then represented the 33rd district in the Florida Senate from 2002 until her election to Congress in 2010 when term limits prevented her from running again. She served as Minority Leader Pro Tempore in 2006, then Minority Whip. When Kendrick Meek retired from Florida's 17th congressional district to run for the United States Senate in 2010, Wilson ran for the open seat and won the Democratic nomination to take it. She won the general election on November 2, 2010, without electoral opposition in a district where the Democratic nomination is tantamount to election. Wilson has been re-elected to the seat five times since.

Wilson is known for her large and colorful hats, of which she owns several hundred. She has gone through efforts to get Congress to lift its ban on head coverings during House sessions. That rule dates back to 1837, 80 years before the first woman took her seat in Congress.