title: Sylvia Kerckhoff
text: # Sylvia Kerckhoff
  
  Sylvia Kerckhoff (born 1928) is an American politician who served as the mayor of Durham, North Carolina, from 1993 to 1997.
  
  ## Early life and education
  
  Kerckhoff was born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1928. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1950 with a degree in psychology and later went to Duke University, from which she graduated in 1960 with a Master of Arts in history and education.
  
  ## Career
  
  Kerckhoff became Durham's first female mayor after defeating incumbent Harry Rodenhizer in the 1993 Durham mayoral election. She was reelected the 1995 Durham mayoral election.
  
  