Kathryn Ellen O'Loughlin (April 24, 1894 – January 16, 1952) was a
U.S. Representative from
Kansas. After her election, she was married to
Daniel M. McCarthy
Daniel M. McCarthy (1888 – August 22, 1950) was an American Democratic politician and lawyer.
Born in Mankato, Kansas, McCarthy was a lawyer. He served in the Kansas State Senate in 1933 and 1935. He married Kathyrn O'Loughlin, who served in t ...
, who served in the
Kansas State Senate
The Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 senators elected from single-member districts, each with a population of at least 60,000 inhabitants. Members ...
, and thereupon served under the name of Kathryn O'Loughlin McCarthy. She was the first woman elected to Congress from Kansas.
Born near
Hays, Kansas
Hays is a city in and the county seat of Ellis County, Kansas, United States. The largest city in northwestern Kansas, it is the economic and cultural center of the region. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 21,116. It is ...
, O'Loughlin attended rural schools. She graduated from the Hays (Kansas) High School in 1913, from the
Kansas State Teachers College in 1917, and from the law school of the
University of Chicago in 1920.
She was
admitted to the bar in 1921 and commenced practice in Chicago, but she returned to Kansas in 1928 and continued the practice of law in Hays. She served as a delegate to the State Democratic conventions in 1930, 1931, 1932, 1934, and 1936, and she served the Democratic National Conventions in 1940 and 1944. She also served as a member of the
Kansas House of Representatives in 1931 and 1932.
O'Loughlin was elected as a
Democrat to the
Seventy-third Congress (March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1935), defeating
Clyde Short in the primary and
Charles I. Sparks
Charles Isaac Sparks (December 20, 1872 – April 30, 1937) was a U.S. Representative from Kansas.
Born on a farm near Ontario, in Jackson Township, Iowa, Sparks was educated in the rural schools and Simpson College, Indianola, Iowa. He wa ...
in the general election. She was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the
Seventy-fourth Congress. Her support for the New Deal angered Kansas Republicans, including Governor
Alf Landon, who promised to have her defeated. Public opinion in Kansas had shifted against the New Deal, especially the Agricultural Adjustment Act, which McCarthy strongly supported. The GOP nominated
Frank Carlson, the chair of the Kansas Republican Party and close ally of Governor Landon. McCarthy was narrowly defeated by Carlson by a margin of 51%–49%, or just under 2,800 votes. Carlson would go on to become one of the most powerful politicians in Kansas history, serving as Governor and later representing the state in the US Senate.
In 1937, McCarthy condemned the forced sterilization of 62 inmates of the
Kansas Industrial School for Girls in
Beloit, Kansas
Beloit is a city in and the county seat of Mitchell County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 3,404.
History
On permanent organization of the county in 1870, Beloit was selected as the county seat ...
.
In an article published in the ''Abilene Reflector'' called, McCarthy called for a formal investigation of the school.
After this, she resumed the practice of law. She also owned and operated a large ranch and was part owner of an automobile agency at Hays and Ellis, Kansas. O'Loughlin died in
Hays, Kansas
Hays is a city in and the county seat of Ellis County, Kansas, United States. The largest city in northwestern Kansas, it is the economic and cultural center of the region. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 21,116. It is ...
, and she was interred in St. Joseph's Cemetery.
See also
*
Women in the United States House of Representatives
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oloughlin, Kathryn Ellen
1894 births
1952 deaths
People from Hays, Kansas
Emporia State University alumni
University of Chicago Law School alumni
Democratic Party members of the Kansas House of Representatives
Female members of the United States House of Representatives
Women state legislators in Kansas
Illinois lawyers
Kansas lawyers
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kansas
20th-century American politicians
20th-century American women politicians
20th-century American lawyers
20th-century American women lawyers