Learn about North Carolina’s first Congresswoman in Asheboro library talk

Jane Pratt

ASHEBORO – Elected by a landslide in 1946, Jane Pratt became the first woman from North Carolina to serve in the U.S. Congress.

Learn about Pratt as author Marion Deerhake talks about her book Jane Pratt: North Carolina’s First Congresswoman,  6:30 p.m. Thursday, October 2, at the  Asheboro Public Library. The talk is hosted by the Randolph Room.

After working as a journalist, Pratt served as secretary to five North Carolina congressmen, the first of which was Randolph County’s William Cicero Hammer. She was working for Rep. William Burgin in 1946, when he died in office. Pratt ran for and won his seat.

She voted to pass the Atomic Energy Act and worked to mitigate a century of flood disasters in western North Carolina. Her decision not to run for reelection, says Deerhake, offers insight into why 46 years passed before North Carolina sent another woman to Congress.

The library is located at 201 Worth Street. For further information, call 336-318-6815