In 1922 Winnifred Huck became the first woman from Illinois, as well as the first wife and mother, elected to Congress. After the death of her father, Representative William Mason, she ran in a special election to fill his seat. Describing the surprise of her congressional run and her likelihood of winning, she said: “I have come into the political world like a clap of thunder out of a clear sky.” Nonetheless, she won and served out the remainder of the 67th Congress.
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