Succeeded by James Russell Tuten Name Iris Blitch | Resigned January 3, 1963 | |
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Preceded by William McDonald Wheeler Born April 25, 1912
Toombs County, Georgia ( 1912-04-25 ) Role Member of the United States House of Representatives Died August 19, 1993, San Diego, California, United States Education South Georgia State College, University of Georgia Political party Democratic Party, Republican Party | ||
Iris Faircloth Blitch (April 25, 1912 – August 19, 1993) was a United States Representative from Georgia. She was the fourth woman to represent Georgia in the Congress, and was a vocal advocate both for women's rights and against racial desegregation.
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Early life
Blitch was born near Vidalia, Georgia and attended the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens in 1929. She also attended South Georgia College in Douglas in 1949. Blitch worked with her husband in the drug business, naval stores in industry and farming in Homerville, Georgia.
Political career
In 1946, Blitch was elected to the Georgia Senate; she was subsequently elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1948 but lost her reelection bid to that office in 1950. She won election to the state Senate again in 1952 and remained in that position through December 31, 1954. From 1948 through 1954, Blitch was Georgia's Democratic Party national committee member.
Running a successful campaign for Georgia's 8th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat, Blitch served in the 84th United States Congress.
A staunch segregationist, in 1956, Blitch was among the 101 Southern politicians to sign "The Southern Manifesto." She won reelection to three additional terms in that seat before choosing not to seek reelection in 1962 due to health reasons. In 1964, Mrs. Blitch left the Democratic Party and endorsed Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater.
Within days of her 1954 election, Blitch appeared on the American television show What's My Line.
After her political service, Blitch resided on St. Simons Island, Georgia. She died in San Diego on August 19, 1993 and was buried in Pine Forest Cemetery in Homerville, Georgia.