NASHVILLE, TN — One of the city’s groundbreaking figures in Nashville history, Edith Taylor Langster, passed away June 30. She was 75.
Services for Langster were held July 6 at St. Ann Catholic Church. Several dignitaries and community leaders gathered to honor her life in which she dedicated more than two decades to public service. She was lauded as a trailblazer breaking the glass ceiling to become Nashville’s first ever female and Black female patrol officer in the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.
“Edith Taylor Langster, simply put, was a Nashville public service trailblazer. Her work as our city’s first female patrol officer in 1974 helped set a career standard for other women to follow, even to this day,” said MNPD Chief of Police John Drake.
Langster began as a dispatcher with MNPD in 1972 at a time when women officers were confined to administrative “desk” positions. Soon after the state of Tennessee ratified the Equal Rights Amendment by passing Joint Resolution 371 prohibiting sexual discrimination, she quickly challenged the status quo and enrolled in Metro’s Police Training Academy graduating within six months. That achievement elevated her as the first woman and first Black woman to the Patrol Division. She would later move on to the Youth Services and Intelligence divisions.
Taylor once said, “Being a police officer with the Metro Police Department, I had the opportunity to protect and serve the people of Nashville and Davidson County. The police department made me who I am and prepared me for future things in life.”
Langster left MNPD in 1982, but that did not end her distinguished career in public service. She soon set her sights on politics and was elected to the Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County representing District 20 from 1991-1995. Her second elected stint on the Council was from 2007-2015 representing District 21. During her time on the Council, she led as chair of Public Works and served on the Budget and Finance, Convention, Tourism and Public Entertainment Facilities and Federal Grants Review Committees.
In between her tenures on the Council, she also ran for State Representative winning her seat in District 54 from 1995-2006. At the state level, she was chair of the House Local Government Subcommittee, vice-chair of the House State and Local Government Committee, former assistant Majority Whip, and a member of the House Consumer and Employee Affairs Committee, House Rules Committee, House Elections Subcommittee, House Consumer Affairs Subcommittee, House State Government Subcommittee, the Joint Select Lottery Oversight Committee and the Joint Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation.
“After she left the police department, Edith was an incredibly strong advocate for our community in the Metro Council and State Legislature,” Drake said. “She cared deeply for people and wanted to help solve quality of life issues, often relying on her police department roots to get things done. Edith set an example for many. I am grateful for her dedication to Nashville and her remarkable life.”
Langster was a true champion of her community and sought equal opportunity for minority businesses and access to services. She was also instrumental in gaining the support and zoning updates necessary to help bring the Tennessee Titans to Nashville.
In addition, Langster had an extensive track of community involvement. She was a member of the Davidson County Democratic Women’s Club, the North Nashville Organization for Community Improvement, Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and the Tennessee State University Alumni Association. She was also a former delegate to the Democratic National Convention, served as vice chair of the Davidson County Democratic Delegation, was a life member of the NAACP, former member of the Nashville Symphony Board, and joined TriStar Centennial Medical Center’s Board of Trustees in 2014 for a three-year term.
“Mrs. Edith Taylor Langster was a dedicated Nashville public servant and will be deeply missed by our community. A supportive Nashvillian, she will be remembered for her integrity, her compassion as a community activist, her strong and vibrant voice for individuals to achieve equal justice and her love for her alma mater, Tennessee State University,” said Sandra D.H. Hunt, president of the Nashville Capitol City Chapter of Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc. of which Langster was a member. “She demonstrated the epitome of female leadership. Her dedication to her family, Top Ladies of Distinction and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. will be missed.”
In 1997, she joined Mary B. Conner as co-chairman of the first-ever AKA Day on the Hill, drawing more than 100 members from various Alpha Kappa Alpha chapters to the Tennessee State Capitol. The event was later adopted by the sorority’s entire South Eastern Region and at the sorority’s international level.
“We are all saddened by the passing of our sister, Edith Taylor Langster. She was respected as a strong advocate for our community and a fierce fighter for equal rights,” said Mary B. Conner, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s 25th South Eastern Regional Director and member of Kappa Lambda Omega Chapter in Nashville. “When Kappa Lambda Omega started the first ever AKA Day on the Hill in Tennessee in 1997, she was right there helping us organize and connect with state elected officials to discuss legislation that had a direct impact on the communities we serve. Her contributions in our chapter and sorority will always be remembered.”
Vivian Wilhoite, assessor of property for Nashville and Davidson County, expressed her sorrow of Langster’s passing.
“I am so sad to hear about the loss of The Honorable Edith Taylor Langster, my dear friend and confidant. The many late-night conversations about family, politics, and just conversation about what’s happening in and around Nashville,” Wilhoite said.
She added, “Thank you for being courageous at a time when women, particularly Black women, were not presented with such opportunities. I am surely grateful to not only have known and served with you, but to also call you my friend.”
Davidson County Register of Deeds Karen Y. Johnson shared her condolences in a July 2 Facebook post saying, “Our community and our city has lost a giant with the passing of Edith Taylor Langster…Rep. Langster helped open the doors that all Nashville women in public service, and especially African American women, have been blessed to walk through. I am one of those who benefited, and I have lost a friend.”
A native of Painesville, Ohio, Langster was born Jan. 31, 1949, but spent most of her childhood growing up in North Nashville. She attended Pearl High School and participated in a pre-college program at Fisk University. After high school graduation, she made her way to Tennessee State University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Sociology, and then continued graduate studies in guidance and counseling.
Langster received numerous awards and honors throughout her lifetime recognizing her commitment to public service and community involvement. She received an “Award of Appreciation” from the National Black State Trooper Coalition, “Woman of the Year” by the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women, “Award of Recognition” from the Tennessee Center for Labor Management Relations, “African America Women Making A Difference” from Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and “Woman of the Year’ by Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., to name a few.
She is survived by two adult children, Travis and David, and five grandchildren. Her legacy as a trailblazer and dedicated public servant will be remembered and cherished by many.
