By Ovetta Wiggins and Rosalind S. Helderman
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, January 13, 2008; C05
 

Her whole life, Sen. Gwendolyn T. Britt was a quiet fighter.

The Prince George's County senator, 66, endured 40 days in jail when she sat down in a whites-only train station waiting room in Mississippi as a Freedom Rider. She accepted arrest for riding a segregated merry-go-round in Glen Echo Park in 1960. So, when paramedics took her shivering and sick to the hospital early yesterday, her husband said "she was literally fighting."

But at 4 a.m., as she lay on a gurney waiting to be admitted to Doctor's Community Hospital in Lanham, she reached out to her husband and died quietly. She apparently suffered heart failure or a stroke, Travis Britt said.

"She put her hand over my hand as they tried to revive her," he said yesterday.

News of Britt's death sent shock waves throughout the Prince George's political establishment as friends and colleagues searched for words to describe their sudden loss.

"It's a great tragedy. She was not just a public servant, but a civil rights hero," U.S. Rep. Albert R. Wynn (D) said yesterday. "It's a stunning loss to all of us."

"The whole Senate is devastated," said Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert), whose district includes part of Prince George's. He added that her leadership on issues such as education, health care and civil rights was unmatched. "We've been proud of her, enjoyed working with her and will miss her greatly."

Britt, who was entering her fifth year in the Senate, was a mother of two and grandmother of five who lived in Hyattsville and represented Landover Hills, Langley Park and Adelphi. Before joining the Senate in 2003, Britt was known for community activism.

"Senator Gwendolyn Britt was smart, hard-working, dedicated and honest. She was a true public servant," Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) said in a statement. "The Maryland State Senate and the entire General Assembly will not be the same without her."

In her district, she was remembered as a politician who rarely sought the limelight but was thrust into a role of prominence because of others' respect for her.

"She provides a lesson of not being guided by position and ambition, but being guided by purpose," said Prince George's County Council Chairman David C. Harrington (D-Cheverly), whose district overlapped Britt's. "It's not about beating your chest and making sure you're seen and how you use power but about being in touch with the needs of the people."

County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D), who became friends with Britt years ago through her husband, released a statement calling her death a "tragic loss."

"She was one of the most honest people you'd ever meet," he said. "She was devoted to the county and to civil rights, and she made a big difference in Prince George's County."

Britt was also widely respected outside of Prince George's. During her first term in office, former Montgomery County executive Douglas M. Duncan strongly considered her as a running mate before he dropped out of the race for governor.

"It was clear she was coming into her own," said state Sen. Paul G. Pinsky (D-Prince George's). "The legislative arena is one filled with people with sharp elbows. She was the antithesis of that. She was warm, caring, honorable, principled and fair."

Last week, the county delegation unanimously reelected her as chairwoman. She also served as the assistant deputy majority leader in the Senate.

Britt, a lead Senate sponsor on a bill that granted voting rights to ex-felons, was expected to lead the effort to legalize same-sex marriage this session. Her death devastated the state's leading gay rights group.

"She taught us to keep the faith, never to waiver from our commitment to a cause and to speak truth to power, no matter what obstacles stand in our way," said David Furmansky, executive director of Equality Maryland.

Britt was the second member of the General Assembly to die suddenly in the past two months. Montgomery Del. Jane E. Lawton, 63, died of an apparent heart attack in November. As in Lawton's case, a successor to serve out the remainder of Britt's term will be chosen by the local Democratic Central Committee and confirmed by O'Malley, committee Chairman Terry N. Speigner said.

"We have time to deal with the process," Speigner said. "Right now, we have to deal with the human side of this tragic situation."

Leading contenders for the position were said to include Harrington, as well as the three delegates who represent Britt's Senate district, Jolene Ivey, Doyle L. Niemann and Victor R. Ramirez. All four said it was too early to discuss whether they would be interested in the seat.

Another possible candidate for the seat is former delegate Rushern L. Baker III, whom legislative leaders had in mind when they drew the boundaries of Britt's district. He decided to forego the state Senate in favor of a run for county executive in 2002 and has been pursuing a run to succeed Johnson as county executive in 2010.

"At this point, I have no interest in the Senate seat," Baker said yesterday, adding that he was shocked and saddened to hear of Britt's death.

Britt, who served on the county's Democratic Central Committee, was elected to the Senate in 2002. She was a retired human resources manager for Giant Food.

© 2008 The Washington Post Company