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Virginia D. Smith | |
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNebraska's3rd district | |
| In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1991 | |
| Preceded by | David Martin |
| Succeeded by | Bill Barrett |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Virginia Dodd June 30, 1911 |
| Died | January 23, 2006(2006-01-23) (aged 94) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
Virginia Dodd Smith (June 30, 1911 – January 23, 2006) was aRepublican member of theUnited States House of Representatives from 1975 to 1991 forNebraska's 3rd district. She was the first and to date only woman from Nebraska to hold a seat in the House.
Before serving in Congress, Smith chaired the American Farm Bureau Women for twenty years.[1]
Smith was elected to succeed RepresentativeDave Martin in 1974. In the year ofWatergate, she defeated her Democratic opponent Wayne Ziebarth by just 737 votes. However, she never faced another contest anywhere near that close, and was reelected seven more times from what has long been one of the most Republican districts in the nation. Proving just how Republican this district was, her lowest vote share apart from her initial bid was 69 percent in 1986, and she even ran unopposed in 1982.[citation needed]
She died in 2006 inSun City West, Arizona at the age of 94. She is buried in Iowa alongside her husband, Haven, who died in 1997.
{{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help)| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNebraska's 3rd congressional district 1975–1991 | Succeeded by |
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| National | |
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