Poston, Ersa Elizabeth Hines
(born: May 3, 1921 - died: January 7, 2009)Ersa H. Poston was born in Mayfield, KY and raised in Paducah, KY after her mother's death. She was the daughter of Vivian Johnson Hines (1905-1925, died of tuberculosis) and Robert Hines.
Ersa Poston was one of the highest-ranking women in the federal government, having been appointed a member of the U.S. Civil Service Commission by President Jimmy Carter in 1977. Prior to the appointment, she was director of the New York State Office of Economic Opportunity, 1965-67, and president of the New York State Civil Service Commission, 1967-75. She also served as vice president of the National Urban League.
Ersa Hines Poston was the former wife of John Clinton and Ted Poston; both marriages ended in divorce. A 1942 graduate of Kentucky State University, she earned her master's in social work at Atlanta University [now Clark Atlanta University] in 1946.
For more see In Black and White. A guide to magazine articles, newspaper articles, and books concerning Black individuals and groups, 3rd ed., Supp., edited by M. M. Spradling; The Negro Almanac. A reference work on the African American, 5th ed.; and A. Berstein, "New York, U.S. Civil Service Administrator," The Washington Post, 1/22/2009, Metro section, p. B5; or "Ersa H. Poston, 87, female pioneer in US Civil Service, 1/24/2009, at archive.boston.com.
