Mable Butler, now 97-years-old, is a history maker, civil rights activist, humanitarian, pioneer and former elected official. While not having an interest in public office initially, she was active in recruiting candidates to run for local offices in Orlando, having meetings in her home with other neighborhood advocates. Her fierce grit and determination set the stage for an historic career in public service in Orlando and Orange County. She ran against an incumbent city commissioner who has been appointed by Governor Bob Graham the previous year, winning election to become the first African-American woman elected to the Orlando City Council. After an historic tenure in city hall, where she served from 1984 to 1990, Butler ran for the Orange County Commission’s District 6 seat and was elected. She was the county’s first African-American commissioner, serving two terms between 1990 and 1998.
Butler has described her style of governing and approach to public service as being “very upfront.” Always concerned about the least of these, and possessing a can-do attitude, Butler worked initially for the Orange County Community Action Agency. She focused particularly on the needs of seniors, becoming the director of a multipurpose center. Her advocacy led to the establishment of a meals on wheels program in West Orange County; the area she would be elected to represent in local government. While still a member of the Orlando City Council, the street on which Butler has lived since the early 1950s was renamed Mable Butler Avenue in her honor.
Butler was born in Gainesville and grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. After graduating from high school and getting married, she attended New York City College, majoring in social service. She moved to Orlando in 1957 and served on Mayor Carl Langford’s biracial committee. As chair of the Housing Committee, Butler reported on discriminatory practices in the apartment market, which led to the creation of the Orlando Human Relations Department.
Through her service to the community, Butler became a force in Central Florida politics, working on two-time Florida Governor Bob Graham’s gubernatorial campaigns and on Orlando Mayor Bill Frederick’s campaigns. Her own political career, spanning almost two-and-half decades, resulted in a lengthy list of accomplishments, and she became known as the matriarch of African-American politics in Orlando.
