Virginia Dodd Smith (June 30, 1911 – January 23, 2006) was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

United States House of Representatives 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 ...

from 1975 to 1991 from the Third

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Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

. She was first and to date only woman from Nebraska to hold a seat in the House. Before serving in Congress, Smith chaired the American Farm Bureau Women for twenty years.

Congress

Smith was elected to succeed Representative Dave Martin in 1974. In the year of Watergate, she defeated her Democratic opponent Wayne Ziebarth by just 737 votes. However, she never faced another contest anywhere near that close, and was reelected seven more times from what has long been one of the most Republican districts in the nation. Proving just how Republican this district was, her lowest vote share apart from her initial bid was 69 percent in 1986, and she even ran unopposed in 1982.

Death

She died in 2006 in

Sun City West, Arizona Sun City West is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The population was 25,806 at the 2020 census. Geography Sun City West is located northwest of downtown Phoenix at (33 ...

at the age of 94. She is buried in Iowa alongside her husband, Haven, who died in 1997.

References

* Dan Balz. "Indiana Democrat Wins House Panel's Support." 04/24/1985. Washington Post. p. A4. * Judith Havemann. "2 in GOP Try to Block Pay Raise for Congress." Washington Post. 01/07/1987. p. A14. * George C. Wilson. "Funding for MX Survives on Tied Committee Vote." Washington Post. 12/03/1982. p. A1.
Entry in the Biographical Dictionary of Congress

* ''Who's Who in America'', 1984–1985 * http://ssdi.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi *

External links

Virginia Smith papers
at the

University of Nebraska-Lincoln A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Virginia Dodd 1911 births 2006 deaths People from Fremont County, Iowa People from Deuel County, Nebraska University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni Female members of the United States House of Representatives Women in Nebraska politics People from Sun City, Arizona Arizona Republicans Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American women

Congress

Death

See also

References

External links