Politician. She served as Secretary of State of Colorado from 1995 until her death in 1999.
Rocky Mountain News (CO) - July 15, 1999
VIKKI BUCKLEY LOSES BIGGEST BATTLE BLACK WOMAN WHO STARTED STATE CAREER AS A CLERK IN OFFICE TO WHICH SHE WAS ELECTED TWICE DIES AT 51
Colorado Secretary of State Vikki Buckley, who overcame hard times to make history, died Wednesday at Denver's University Hospital of congestive heart failure.
Buckley, 51, was the first and only black woman in Colorado history to be elected to statewide office, which she did twice, heading the department where 25 years ago she began as a clerk.
Yet Buckley saw herself more as an inspiration than a political pioneer.
''For black kids, for all kids really, to know that you can pull yourself up by your bootstraps, and you can get elected, that's important,'' Buckley said as she was sworn into office in 1995 for her first term.
''You just have to have the vision,'' Buckley said. ''If your parents stand behind you, or even if your parents don't, you can do it. When I work with kids on the street, I try to tell them, you can make it if you just go out and do it.''
Buckley was born in Denver on Nov. 2, 1947, and graduated from East High School. In the eight years that followed, she had a baby, went on welfare, got married, got divorced and earned an associate degree in drafting from Sieble School of Drafting in Englewood.
In 1974, she was hired as a clerk in the secretary of state's office, working in every division until her first venture into politics 19 years later when she decided to run for secretary of state after Natalie Meyer chose not to seek re-election.
''With only a campaign manager, postage stamps and the heart to win, I campaigned vigorously and got on the Republican ballot,'' she recalled in a biography she wrote for Ladies Home Journal in 1995.
Buckley won in a landslide.
''She showed up at a function for candidates, and she was putting out her own literature. I helped her, and she gave me the biggest hug,'' Sen. Norma Anderson, R-Lakewood, recalled. ''She was so appreciative when someone did something for her.''
Re-election in 1998 was much tougher. She won the race in a squeeker, coming from well behind in the final weeks of the campaign.
''She was one of most singularly ostracized politicians in Colorado,'' said Sam Riddle, the controversial political adviser credited with helping her turn her campaign around. ''But the people saw through that when they elected her in November.''
Buckley survived criticism within the Republican Party and attempts from both parties in the legislature to strip her office of some of its power.
''She got a bad deal. Most of the newspapers in this state were against her when she was up for re-election. She won in spite of it,'' said Republican Party activist Hal Shroyer, who seconded Buckley's nomination at the state convention in her first run for office.
Most recently, Buckley weathered an investigation into her hiring of Riddle, whom she employed as a $250-an-hour consultant. Just this week legislators wrapped up the probe without finding evidence of wrongdoing.
But there were high spots, too. When other politicians shied away from the National Rifle Association's annual convention, Buckley volunteered to give the welcoming address, saying that hatred - not the availability of guns - was the cause of violence.
The result was a burgeoning national reputation that brought calls from some quarters that she run for president.
Buckley expressed mild interest, but declined.
Among the accomplishments Buckley said she took pride in as secretary of state were improving the efficiency of the office, cutting fees for businesses, expanding access to information via the Internet and preparing state computers for the year 2000.
''We are now one of the most 'business friendly' states in America,'' Buckley said.
''Her life was a positive example of how someone from a humble background, through hard work and perseverance, was able to work her way up and achieve her dream of serving others,'' said Denver Mayor Wellington Webb.
Survivors include her husband, Todd Newsome; three sons, Ian C. Buckley, JeVon Frye and Kahlin Hessica of Denver; her parents, Charles and Rubye Buckley of Denver; a brother, James Buckley of Los Angeles; a sister, Patricia Duncan of Denver; and two grandchildren.
Funeral plans were incomplete Wednesday. Contributions can be sent to Project Heritage, Heritage Christian Center, 9495 E. Florida Ave., Denver 80231.
Victoria Buckley, a former Colorado secretary of state, who rose from the welfare rolls to become the nation's highest-ranking black female Republican in a statewide office, died yesterday in Denver of cardiac arrest. She was 51.
She was a deputy in the secretary of state's elections division for 20 years before taking the top post in 1994, becoming the first black woman in Colorado to hold a statewide office. At the time, Buckley was a single mother on welfare.
Among her accomplishments was returning $9 million to the state treasury from office fees.
Buckley's two terms were not without controversy.
She won re-election in November following a bitter battle over complaints that her office was in disarray because of ballot disputes.
Source; Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Thursday, July 15, 1999
Rocky Mountain News (CO) - July 15, 1999
VIKKI BUCKLEY LOSES BIGGEST BATTLE BLACK WOMAN WHO STARTED STATE CAREER AS A CLERK IN OFFICE TO WHICH SHE WAS ELECTED TWICE DIES AT 51
Colorado Secretary of State Vikki Buckley, who overcame hard times to make history, died Wednesday at Denver's University Hospital of congestive heart failure.
Buckley, 51, was the first and only black woman in Colorado history to be elected to statewide office, which she did twice, heading the department where 25 years ago she began as a clerk.
Yet Buckley saw herself more as an inspiration than a political pioneer.
''For black kids, for all kids really, to know that you can pull yourself up by your bootstraps, and you can get elected, that's important,'' Buckley said as she was sworn into office in 1995 for her first term.
''You just have to have the vision,'' Buckley said. ''If your parents stand behind you, or even if your parents don't, you can do it. When I work with kids on the street, I try to tell them, you can make it if you just go out and do it.''
Buckley was born in Denver on Nov. 2, 1947, and graduated from East High School. In the eight years that followed, she had a baby, went on welfare, got married, got divorced and earned an associate degree in drafting from Sieble School of Drafting in Englewood.
In 1974, she was hired as a clerk in the secretary of state's office, working in every division until her first venture into politics 19 years later when she decided to run for secretary of state after Natalie Meyer chose not to seek re-election.
''With only a campaign manager, postage stamps and the heart to win, I campaigned vigorously and got on the Republican ballot,'' she recalled in a biography she wrote for Ladies Home Journal in 1995.
Buckley won in a landslide.
''She showed up at a function for candidates, and she was putting out her own literature. I helped her, and she gave me the biggest hug,'' Sen. Norma Anderson, R-Lakewood, recalled. ''She was so appreciative when someone did something for her.''
Re-election in 1998 was much tougher. She won the race in a squeeker, coming from well behind in the final weeks of the campaign.
''She was one of most singularly ostracized politicians in Colorado,'' said Sam Riddle, the controversial political adviser credited with helping her turn her campaign around. ''But the people saw through that when they elected her in November.''
Buckley survived criticism within the Republican Party and attempts from both parties in the legislature to strip her office of some of its power.
''She got a bad deal. Most of the newspapers in this state were against her when she was up for re-election. She won in spite of it,'' said Republican Party activist Hal Shroyer, who seconded Buckley's nomination at the state convention in her first run for office.
Most recently, Buckley weathered an investigation into her hiring of Riddle, whom she employed as a $250-an-hour consultant. Just this week legislators wrapped up the probe without finding evidence of wrongdoing.
But there were high spots, too. When other politicians shied away from the National Rifle Association's annual convention, Buckley volunteered to give the welcoming address, saying that hatred - not the availability of guns - was the cause of violence.
The result was a burgeoning national reputation that brought calls from some quarters that she run for president.
Buckley expressed mild interest, but declined.
Among the accomplishments Buckley said she took pride in as secretary of state were improving the efficiency of the office, cutting fees for businesses, expanding access to information via the Internet and preparing state computers for the year 2000.
''We are now one of the most 'business friendly' states in America,'' Buckley said.
''Her life was a positive example of how someone from a humble background, through hard work and perseverance, was able to work her way up and achieve her dream of serving others,'' said Denver Mayor Wellington Webb.
Survivors include her husband, Todd Newsome; three sons, Ian C. Buckley, JeVon Frye and Kahlin Hessica of Denver; her parents, Charles and Rubye Buckley of Denver; a brother, James Buckley of Los Angeles; a sister, Patricia Duncan of Denver; and two grandchildren.
Funeral plans were incomplete Wednesday. Contributions can be sent to Project Heritage, Heritage Christian Center, 9495 E. Florida Ave., Denver 80231.
Victoria Buckley, a former Colorado secretary of state, who rose from the welfare rolls to become the nation's highest-ranking black female Republican in a statewide office, died yesterday in Denver of cardiac arrest. She was 51.
She was a deputy in the secretary of state's elections division for 20 years before taking the top post in 1994, becoming the first black woman in Colorado to hold a statewide office. At the time, Buckley was a single mother on welfare.
Among her accomplishments was returning $9 million to the state treasury from office fees.
Buckley's two terms were not without controversy.
She won re-election in November following a bitter battle over complaints that her office was in disarray because of ballot disputes.
Source; Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Thursday, July 15, 1999
Politician. She served as Secretary of State of Colorado from 1995 until her death in 1999.
Rocky Mountain News (CO) - July 15, 1999
VIKKI BUCKLEY LOSES BIGGEST BATTLE BLACK WOMAN WHO STARTED STATE CAREER AS A CLERK IN OFFICE TO WHICH SHE WAS ELECTED TWICE DIES AT 51
Colorado Secretary of State Vikki Buckley, who overcame hard times to make history, died Wednesday at Denver's University Hospital of congestive heart failure.
Buckley, 51, was the first and only black woman in Colorado history to be elected to statewide office, which she did twice, heading the department where 25 years ago she began as a clerk.
Yet Buckley saw herself more as an inspiration than a political pioneer.
''For black kids, for all kids really, to know that you can pull yourself up by your bootstraps, and you can get elected, that's important,'' Buckley said as she was sworn into office in 1995 for her first term.
''You just have to have the vision,'' Buckley said. ''If your parents stand behind you, or even if your parents don't, you can do it. When I work with kids on the street, I try to tell them, you can make it if you just go out and do it.''
Buckley was born in Denver on Nov. 2, 1947, and graduated from East High School. In the eight years that followed, she had a baby, went on welfare, got married, got divorced and earned an associate degree in drafting from Sieble School of Drafting in Englewood.
In 1974, she was hired as a clerk in the secretary of state's office, working in every division until her first venture into politics 19 years later when she decided to run for secretary of state after Natalie Meyer chose not to seek re-election.
''With only a campaign manager, postage stamps and the heart to win, I campaigned vigorously and got on the Republican ballot,'' she recalled in a biography she wrote for Ladies Home Journal in 1995.
Buckley won in a landslide.
''She showed up at a function for candidates, and she was putting out her own literature. I helped her, and she gave me the biggest hug,'' Sen. Norma Anderson, R-Lakewood, recalled. ''She was so appreciative when someone did something for her.''
Re-election in 1998 was much tougher. She won the race in a squeeker, coming from well behind in the final weeks of the campaign.
''She was one of most singularly ostracized politicians in Colorado,'' said Sam Riddle, the controversial political adviser credited with helping her turn her campaign around. ''But the people saw through that when they elected her in November.''
Buckley survived criticism within the Republican Party and attempts from both parties in the legislature to strip her office of some of its power.
''She got a bad deal. Most of the newspapers in this state were against her when she was up for re-election. She won in spite of it,'' said Republican Party activist Hal Shroyer, who seconded Buckley's nomination at the state convention in her first run for office.
Most recently, Buckley weathered an investigation into her hiring of Riddle, whom she employed as a $250-an-hour consultant. Just this week legislators wrapped up the probe without finding evidence of wrongdoing.
But there were high spots, too. When other politicians shied away from the National Rifle Association's annual convention, Buckley volunteered to give the welcoming address, saying that hatred - not the availability of guns - was the cause of violence.
The result was a burgeoning national reputation that brought calls from some quarters that she run for president.
Buckley expressed mild interest, but declined.
Among the accomplishments Buckley said she took pride in as secretary of state were improving the efficiency of the office, cutting fees for businesses, expanding access to information via the Internet and preparing state computers for the year 2000.
''We are now one of the most 'business friendly' states in America,'' Buckley said.
''Her life was a positive example of how someone from a humble background, through hard work and perseverance, was able to work her way up and achieve her dream of serving others,'' said Denver Mayor Wellington Webb.
Survivors include her husband, Todd Newsome; three sons, Ian C. Buckley, JeVon Frye and Kahlin Hessica of Denver; her parents, Charles and Rubye Buckley of Denver; a brother, James Buckley of Los Angeles; a sister, Patricia Duncan of Denver; and two grandchildren.
Funeral plans were incomplete Wednesday. Contributions can be sent to Project Heritage, Heritage Christian Center, 9495 E. Florida Ave., Denver 80231.
Victoria Buckley, a former Colorado secretary of state, who rose from the welfare rolls to become the nation's highest-ranking black female Republican in a statewide office, died yesterday in Denver of cardiac arrest. She was 51.
She was a deputy in the secretary of state's elections division for 20 years before taking the top post in 1994, becoming the first black woman in Colorado to hold a statewide office. At the time, Buckley was a single mother on welfare.
Among her accomplishments was returning $9 million to the state treasury from office fees.
Buckley's two terms were not without controversy.
She won re-election in November following a bitter battle over complaints that her office was in disarray because of ballot disputes.
Source; Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Thursday, July 15, 1999
Rocky Mountain News (CO) - July 15, 1999
VIKKI BUCKLEY LOSES BIGGEST BATTLE BLACK WOMAN WHO STARTED STATE CAREER AS A CLERK IN OFFICE TO WHICH SHE WAS ELECTED TWICE DIES AT 51
Colorado Secretary of State Vikki Buckley, who overcame hard times to make history, died Wednesday at Denver's University Hospital of congestive heart failure.
Buckley, 51, was the first and only black woman in Colorado history to be elected to statewide office, which she did twice, heading the department where 25 years ago she began as a clerk.
Yet Buckley saw herself more as an inspiration than a political pioneer.
''For black kids, for all kids really, to know that you can pull yourself up by your bootstraps, and you can get elected, that's important,'' Buckley said as she was sworn into office in 1995 for her first term.
''You just have to have the vision,'' Buckley said. ''If your parents stand behind you, or even if your parents don't, you can do it. When I work with kids on the street, I try to tell them, you can make it if you just go out and do it.''
Buckley was born in Denver on Nov. 2, 1947, and graduated from East High School. In the eight years that followed, she had a baby, went on welfare, got married, got divorced and earned an associate degree in drafting from Sieble School of Drafting in Englewood.
In 1974, she was hired as a clerk in the secretary of state's office, working in every division until her first venture into politics 19 years later when she decided to run for secretary of state after Natalie Meyer chose not to seek re-election.
''With only a campaign manager, postage stamps and the heart to win, I campaigned vigorously and got on the Republican ballot,'' she recalled in a biography she wrote for Ladies Home Journal in 1995.
Buckley won in a landslide.
''She showed up at a function for candidates, and she was putting out her own literature. I helped her, and she gave me the biggest hug,'' Sen. Norma Anderson, R-Lakewood, recalled. ''She was so appreciative when someone did something for her.''
Re-election in 1998 was much tougher. She won the race in a squeeker, coming from well behind in the final weeks of the campaign.
''She was one of most singularly ostracized politicians in Colorado,'' said Sam Riddle, the controversial political adviser credited with helping her turn her campaign around. ''But the people saw through that when they elected her in November.''
Buckley survived criticism within the Republican Party and attempts from both parties in the legislature to strip her office of some of its power.
''She got a bad deal. Most of the newspapers in this state were against her when she was up for re-election. She won in spite of it,'' said Republican Party activist Hal Shroyer, who seconded Buckley's nomination at the state convention in her first run for office.
Most recently, Buckley weathered an investigation into her hiring of Riddle, whom she employed as a $250-an-hour consultant. Just this week legislators wrapped up the probe without finding evidence of wrongdoing.
But there were high spots, too. When other politicians shied away from the National Rifle Association's annual convention, Buckley volunteered to give the welcoming address, saying that hatred - not the availability of guns - was the cause of violence.
The result was a burgeoning national reputation that brought calls from some quarters that she run for president.
Buckley expressed mild interest, but declined.
Among the accomplishments Buckley said she took pride in as secretary of state were improving the efficiency of the office, cutting fees for businesses, expanding access to information via the Internet and preparing state computers for the year 2000.
''We are now one of the most 'business friendly' states in America,'' Buckley said.
''Her life was a positive example of how someone from a humble background, through hard work and perseverance, was able to work her way up and achieve her dream of serving others,'' said Denver Mayor Wellington Webb.
Survivors include her husband, Todd Newsome; three sons, Ian C. Buckley, JeVon Frye and Kahlin Hessica of Denver; her parents, Charles and Rubye Buckley of Denver; a brother, James Buckley of Los Angeles; a sister, Patricia Duncan of Denver; and two grandchildren.
Funeral plans were incomplete Wednesday. Contributions can be sent to Project Heritage, Heritage Christian Center, 9495 E. Florida Ave., Denver 80231.
Victoria Buckley, a former Colorado secretary of state, who rose from the welfare rolls to become the nation's highest-ranking black female Republican in a statewide office, died yesterday in Denver of cardiac arrest. She was 51.
She was a deputy in the secretary of state's elections division for 20 years before taking the top post in 1994, becoming the first black woman in Colorado to hold a statewide office. At the time, Buckley was a single mother on welfare.
Among her accomplishments was returning $9 million to the state treasury from office fees.
Buckley's two terms were not without controversy.
She won re-election in November following a bitter battle over complaints that her office was in disarray because of ballot disputes.
Source; Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Thursday, July 15, 1999
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