Eliza Jane Pratt
| Eliza Jane Pratt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 8th district | |
|
In office May 25, 1946 – January 3, 1947 | |
| Preceded by | William O. Burgin |
| Succeeded by | Charles B. Deane |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 5, 1902 Anson County, North Carolina |
| Died |
May 13, 1981 (aged 79) Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Alma mater | Queens College |
Eliza Jane Pratt (March 5, 1902 – May 13, 1981) was a U.S. Representative from North Carolina, the first woman to represent her state in the U.S. Congress.
A native of Anson County, North Carolina, Pratt worked as a newspaper editor in Troy, North Carolina, before being hired as a secretary for Congressman Robert L. Doughton in 1924. She then served Doughton and his successors in North Carolina's 8th congressional district for the next twenty-two years: J. Walter Lambeth and William O. Burgin.
When Burgin died in office in 1946, Pratt was elected as a Democrat to fill the vacancy. She served from May 25, 1946, to January 3, 1947, and was not a candidate in the 1946 general election.
Pratt went on to a variety of federal government jobs and again became a secretary for a member of Congress, Alvin Paul Kitchin, from 1957 through 1962.
No woman would be elected again to Congress from North Carolina until Eva M. Clayton was elected in 1992.
External links
Eliza Jane Pratt at Find a Grave
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William O. Burgin |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 8th congressional district 1946–1947 |
Succeeded by Charles B. Deane |