Ruth Thompson | |
|---|---|
 Ruth Thompson,Pocket Congressional Directory, 83rd Congress | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMichigan's9th district | |
| In office January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1957 | |
| Preceded by | Albert J. Engel |
| Succeeded by | Robert P. Griffin |
| Member of theMichigan House of Representatives | |
| In office 1939–1941 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1887-09-15)September 15, 1887 |
| Died | April 5, 1970(1970-04-05) (aged 82) |
| Political party | Republican Party |
| Alma mater | Muskegon Business College |
| Occupation | Attorney |
Ruth Thompson (September 15, 1887 – April 5, 1970) was a Republican[1] politician from theU.S. state ofMichigan. A lawyer by profession, she served three terms in theUnited States House of Representatives from 1951 to 1957.
Thompson was born inWhitehall, Michigan, and attended the public schools. She graduated fromMuskegon Business College of nearbyMuskegon in 1905, and became a lawyer with a private practice.
She was registrar ofprobate court ofMuskegon County and judge of probate from 1925 to 1937. She gained national recognition as an advocate for children's rights during that period. She was elected the county's first female state representative in 1938 and served as a member of theMichigan House of Representatives (Muskegon County 1st district) from 1939 to 1941.
Thompson then served on theSocial Security Board, 1941–1942; staff forUnited States Labor Department, 1942; United StatesAdjutant General's Office, 1942–1946; and then member and chair of the Michigan state Prison Commission for Women. During and afterWorld War II she worked as a civilian employee of theU.S. Army in Washington, D.C., and inEurope.
In 1950, Thompson was elected as aRepublican fromMichigan's 9th congressional district to the82nd Congress and subsequently re-elected to the two succeeding Congresses serving from January 3, 1951, to January 3, 1957, in theU.S. House. She was the first woman to represent Michigan inCongress and the first woman to serve on theHouse Judiciary Committee.
On February 26, 1954, Thompson introduced legislation to ban mailing "obscene, lewd, lascivious or filthy" phonograph (rock and roll) records.[2]
She was an unsuccessful candidate for re-nomination to the85th Congress in 1956, being defeated by fellow RepublicanRobert P. Griffin and returned to her home in Whitehall.
Ruth Thompson died in Plainwell Sanitorium inAllegan County, Michigan, and was interred in Oakhurst Cemetery of Whitehall.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | United States Representative for the 9th Congressional District of Michigan 1951–1957 | Succeeded by |
| People | |
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| Other | |
