Eliza Jane Pratt (March 5, 1902 – May 13, 1981) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

, the first woman to represent her state in the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...

. She was the only woman elected to the U.S. House from North Carolina until the 1992 election of

Eva Clayton Eva McPherson Clayton (born September 16, 1934) is an American politician from North Carolina. On taking her seat in the United States House of Representatives following a special election in 1992, Clayton became the first African American to rep ...

. Pratt was born in

Anson County Anson County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,055. Its county seat is Wadesboro. History The county was formed in 1750 from Bladen County. It was named for George Anson, Ba ...

, North Carolina on March 5, 1902. She attended Queens College in

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, North Carolina from 1918 to 1920. In 1923, Pratt worked as an editor for the ''Montgomerian'' newspaper in

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...

, North Carolina. In 1924, she was hired as an administrative assistant for Congressman

William C. Hammer William Cicero Hammer (March 24, 1865 – September 26, 1930) was a U.S. Representative from North Carolina. Born near Asheboro, North Carolina, Hammer attended private and common schools. He studied at Yadkin Institute and Western Maryland C ...

. Following Hammer's death in 1930, Pratt worked for a succession of North Carolina representatives:

Hinton James Hinton James is the name of: * the first student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill * Hinton James (representative) ''Note: This article is about the U.S. Congressman from Laurinburg, not the first student at the University of N ...

, J. Walter Lambeth and William O. Burgin. When Burgin died in office in 1946, Pratt was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to fill the vacancy. She served from May 25, 1946, to January 3, 1947, and was not a candidate in the 1946 general election. During her time in office, Pratt was appointed to three committees: Pensions, Territories, and Flood Control. Pratt went on to a variety of federal government jobs between 1947 and 1956 with the Office of Alien Property, the Agriculture Department, and the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

. She worked as secretary for another member of Congress,

Alvin Paul Kitchin A. Paul Kitchin (September 13, 1908 – October 22, 1983) was a U.S. Congressional representative from North Carolina. Early life Kitchin was born in Scotland Neck, North Carolina on September 13, 1908, the grandson of former congressman Willi ...

, from 1957 through 1962. In 1962, Pratt returned to North Carolina and worked as a public relations executive for the North Carolina Telephone Company.

References

External links

Congressional Biography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pratt, Eliza Jane 1902 births 1981 deaths 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians Female members of the United States House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina Women in North Carolina politics Editors of North Carolina newspapers Queens University of Charlotte alumni People from Wadesboro, North Carolina Secretaries United States congressional aides

See also

References

External links