While the recent election of Eileen Higgins as the first female mayor in the 130-year history of Miami has dominated headlines, local historians and family members are pointing to a legacy that began decades ago. Long before the historic December 2025 runoff, another woman—M. Athalie Range—was performing the duties of mayor and breaking racial and gender barriers in South Florida.
M. Athalie Range was a titan of Miami’s civil rights era. According to reports from WLRN Public Media, her journey into public service began as a frustrated parent fighting for basic dignity at Liberty City Elementary School, where Black students were forced to drink hot water from outdoor pipes.
What began as a fight for school resources at the PTA level eventually propelled her into the halls of power, where she shattered glass ceilings across the state. In 1966, she made history as the first Black person appointed to the Miami City Commission—a seat she successfully defended at the ballot box a year later.
By 1970, she stepped into the role of Vice Mayor, providing steady leadership and presiding over the city during a high-stakes transition of power. Her influence soon expanded beyond city limits; in 1971, she was appointed to lead the Department of Community Affairs, becoming the first woman and the first Black person to ever head a state agency in Florida.
Though Eileen Higgins is the first woman to officially hold the title of Mayor, Range performed mayoral duties 55 years earlier. On November 25, 1970, when then-Mayor Stephen P. Clark resigned to become the mayor of Dade County, it was Range who presided over the commission to appoint a new leader.
Higgins herself acknowledged this lineage, telling WLRN: “Mrs. Range did this so long ago in a time where women were never expected to do anything like this… she’s not just a trailblazer, she’s a trailblazer all in capital letters.”
For her grandson, N. Patrick Range II, the current political landscape is a testament to her endurance. “Since my grandmother passed, you’ve had so many female politicians come into power,” he said to WLRN. “It just says to me that they’re all in one way or another kind of standing on her shoulders.”
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