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Kathryn Elizabeth Granahan | |
|---|---|
 Granahan,c. 1947 | |
| 32nd Treasurer of the United States | |
| In office January 9, 1963 – November 22, 1966 | |
| President | John F. Kennedy Lyndon Johnson |
| Preceded by | Elizabeth Rudel Smith |
| Succeeded by | Dorothy Andrews Elston Kabis |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's2nd district | |
| In office November 6, 1956 – January 3, 1963 | |
| Preceded by | William T. Granahan |
| Succeeded by | Robert N. C. Nix Sr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kathryn Elizabeth O'Hay December 7, 1894 Easton, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | July 10, 1979(1979-07-10) (aged 84) Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Resting place | Gethsemane Cemetery,Easton, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | William T. Granahan |
| Alma mater | Mount St. Joseph Collegiate Institute |
| Signature |  |
Kathryn Elizabeth Granahan (December 7, 1894 – July 10, 1979) was an American politician. She served as a member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania and was appointedTreasurer of the United States by PresidentJohn F. Kennedy.
Granahan was a member of theDemocratic Party and was the first woman to be elected to theUnited States Congress fromPhiladelphia.[1]
Granahan was born Kathryn Elizabeth O'Hay inEaston, Pennsylvania in theLehigh Valley region of easternPennsylvania. All four of her grandparents wereIrish immigrants.[2] She graduated fromEaston Area High School and then Mount St. Joseph Collegiate Institute inPhiladelphia, which was later renamedChestnut Hill College.
She was supervisor of public assistance in the State Auditor General's Department, and liaison officer between that department andPennsylvania Department of Public Assistance, from 1940 to 1943.
She was a member of national board,Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania inPhiladelphia and was a delegate to the1960 Democratic National Convention inLos Angeles.
Her husband, Rep.William T. Granahan served inCongress from 1945 to 1947 and from 1949 until his death in 1956. His death came shortly after the1956 primary election and theDemocratic Party inPhiladelphia selected Kathryn to succeed her husband in both the special election and general election. She was simultaneously elected to serve out her husband's term in the84th United States Congress and a term in the85th United States Congress in her own right.[3]
She served as chair of the House Subcommittee on Postal Operations, and worked withPostmaster GeneralArthur Summerfield to pass the Granahan bill "to seize and detain the mail of anyone suspected of trafficking in obscenity."[4]
After the1960 census, Pennsylvania was expected to lose three seats in redistricting. The Democratic Party leadership chose Granahan's seat as one of those to be eliminated. Rep.Bill Green secured her assurance not to run in the1962 elections. In return, Green convinced thenU.S. presidentJohn F. Kennedy to appoint herTreasurer of the United States, which Kennedy did.[3]
Granahan began her term as Treasurer on January 9, 1963 after her term in Congress ended. In 1965, Granahan suffered ablood clot after a fall, and worked a reduced schedule following the incident. In 1966, an effort to declare her incompetent failed; however, she resigned four months later.[3]
Granahan made guest appearances onWhat's My Line? on March 3, 1963, andTo Tell the Truth in November 1963.[5]
Granahan died inNorristown, Pennsylvania on July 10, 1979, at age 84. She is interred at Gethsemane Cemetery inEaston, Pennsylvania.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 2nd congressional district 1956 - 1963 | Succeeded by |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | Treasurer of the United States 1963–1966 | Succeeded by |
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