David Craft
Wavy.com
September 3, 2026
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Former Virginia Delegate and Virginia Opera founder Edythe Harrison has died.
Harrison was a community leader and patron of the arts in Hampton Roads. Originally from Detroit, Harrison met her husband, Stanley L. Harrison in 1954 and moved to Norfolk in 1956, according to her obituary.
In 1979, Harrison won to represent Norfolk in the Virginia House of Delegates. She served on several committees and championed for women’s rights. She also ran for United State Senate in 1984, the first woman to seek statewide office in Virginia.
Harrison also founded the Women’s Studies Department at Old Dominion University and became its first Chair, according to her obituary.