Jane Pratt: North Carolina’s First Congresswoman

On May 25th, 1946, after 22 years as a congressional secretary, Jane Pratt was elected as North Carolina’s first congresswoman. The press reported with great interest how ＂Miss Jane＂ won by a landslide with only a ＄100 campaign budget. She hit the ground running, voting to the pass the Atomic Energy Act, working tirelessly to mitigate a century of flood disasters in western North Carolina, and serving the constituents she knew so well.

This first biography of Congresswoman Jane Pratt recounts her youth and fascinating career on Capitol Hill. It also provides a unique federal view of North Carolina’s early 20th century history. After working as a rare female newspaper editor in the early 1920s, Pratt became secretary to five tarheel congressmen over some 30 years. Her career spanned the roaring twenties, the Great Depression, World War II, and the Cold War. Pratt’s amazing network was a who’s who of leaders in North Carolina and Washington, DC. Her decision not to run for re-election offers insight into why 46 years passed before the state elected another woman to Congress.

Marion Elliott Deerhake is an environmental scientist with more than 30 years of experience in research, outreach, and communication. She has volunteered on state and local environmental committees for decades in addition to nonprofit service. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.