Ruth Bryan Owen followed her father—William Jennings Bryan, famed populist Democrat—into a career in politics. Shortly after her famous father’s death, Owen ran for a House seat in Florida. After a narrow loss, she tried again the next election. Her momentous effort to reach out to voters, logging thousands of miles and giving hundreds of stump speeches, gained her more recognition. Her extensive relief work in Miami following the devastating hurricane of 1927 further drew the public’s attention. She won a seat in the 71st Congress.
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