Myrth York is a Democratic politician, former Rhode Island State Senator and candidate for Governor of Rhode Island. York was born in Maplewood, New Jersey. She is the daughter of chemical engineer, entrepreneur and philanthropist Otto H. York. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Denver in 1968 and a law degree from Boston University in 1972. York earned an LL.M. from BU in taxation in 1979. York served in the Rhode Island State Senate from 1991 to 1994, and on the Senate Corporations Committee and the Senate Health, Education and Welfare Committee. During her second term she was chairman of the HEW Committee. In the Senate she was known for being strongly liberal on social issues and defending the rights of women and minorities. York served as a fellow for the Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government during the spring of 1999. York ran unsuccessfully for governor three times. She "ran a competitive bid in 1994 — a tough year for Democrats nationally — losing to Republican Lincoln C. Almond by 3 percentage points. But she slipped further behind in the two subsequent elections, losing to Almond by 9 points in 1998 and to Carcieri by 10 points in 2002." The 2002 campaign was particularly costly to York as she spent $3.8 million of her own money to finance what was to be her last bid for elected office. A key turning point in the campaign was when York criticized Carcieri for the actions of businesses he had been associated with but refused to answer Carcieri's request that she reveal what companies her personal assets were invested in. In 2006 she endorsed Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee in his unsuccessful bid for re-election.. In the endorsement, York said that Chafee would be the first Republican she voted for since Richard Nixon. York was appointed to the Providence Zoning Board of Review and was re-appointed by incoming Mayor Angel Taveras in 2011. She currently serves as the Board's chair. York has received many awards, including the United Way's Legislator of the Year Award and the Claiborne Pell Award for outstanding service to the arts and people with disabilities.
