Iris Faircloth Blitch
Encyclopedia
Iris Faircloth Blitch was a United States Representative from Georgia
.
She was the third woman elected to Congress from Georgia.
Blitch was born near Vidalia, Georgia
and attended the University of Georgia
(UGA) in Athens
in 1929. She also attended South Georgia College
in Douglas
in 1949. Blitch worked with her husband in the drug business, naval stores
in industry and farming in Homerville, Georgia
.
In 1946, Blitch was elected to the Georgia Senate
, and she was subsequently elected to the Georgia House of Representatives
in 1948 but lost her reelection bid to that office in 1950. She won election to the state Senate again in 1952 and remained in that position through December 31, 1954. From 1948 through 1954, Blitch was Georgia's Democratic Party
national committee member.
Running a successful campaign for Georgia's 8th congressional district
in the United States House of Representatives
as a Democrat
, Blitch served in the 84th United States Congress
. A staunch segregationist, in 1956, Blitch signed "The Southern Manifesto."
She won reelection to three additional terms in that seat before choosing not to seek reelection in 1962 due to health reasons. In 1964, Mrs. Blitch left the Democratic Party and endorsed Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater
.
Within days of her 1954 election, Mrs. Blitch appeared on the American television show What's My Line where she was quizzed by Bennett Cerf
, Fran Allison
, Robert Q. Lewis, and the redoubtable Dorothy Kilgallen
.
After her political service, Blitch resided on St. Simons Island, Georgia. She died in San Diego on August 19, 1993 and was buried in Pinelawn Cemetery in Homerville, Georgia
.
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
.
She was the third woman elected to Congress from Georgia.
Blitch was born near Vidalia, Georgia
Vidalia, Georgia
Vidalia, is a city in Toombs and very slightly into Montgomery counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 10,491. It is the largest city in Toombs, but is not the county seat...
and attended the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
(UGA) in Athens
Athens, Georgia
Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...
in 1929. She also attended South Georgia College
South Georgia College
South Georgia College is a two-year, state-supported, residential junior college located in Douglas, Georgia, United States.-Affiliation/Accreditation:...
in Douglas
Douglas, Georgia
Douglas is a city in Coffee County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 11,589. Douglas is the county seat of Coffee County and the core city of the Douglas, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area which has a population of 48,708 as of the 2008 census...
in 1949. Blitch worked with her husband in the drug business, naval stores
Naval stores
Naval Stores is a broad term which originally applied to the resin-based components used in building and maintaining wooden sailing ships, a category which includes cordage, mask, turpentine, rosin, pitch and tar...
in industry and farming in Homerville, Georgia
Homerville, Georgia
Homerville is a city in Clinch County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,803 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Clinch County. Homerville was incorporated February 15, 1869.-Geography:...
.
In 1946, Blitch was elected to the Georgia Senate
Georgia Senate
The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly .-Composition:According to the state constitution of 1983, this body is to be composed of no more than 56 members elected for two-year terms. Current state law provides for 56 members...
, and she was subsequently elected to the Georgia House of Representatives
Georgia House of Representatives
The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly of the U.S. state of Georgia.-Composition:...
in 1948 but lost her reelection bid to that office in 1950. She won election to the state Senate again in 1952 and remained in that position through December 31, 1954. From 1948 through 1954, Blitch was Georgia's Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
national committee member.
Running a successful campaign for Georgia's 8th congressional district
Georgia's 8th congressional district
Georgia's 8th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. Located in central Georgia, the district is based in Macon and also includes Warner Robins, Tifton, and Moultrie...
in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, Blitch served in the 84th United States Congress
84th United States Congress
The Eighty-fourth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1955 to January 3, 1957, during the third and...
. A staunch segregationist, in 1956, Blitch signed "The Southern Manifesto."
Southern Manifesto
The Southern Manifesto was a document written February–March 1956 by Adisen and Charles in the United States Congress opposed to racial integration in public places. The manifesto was signed by 101 politicians from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South...
She won reelection to three additional terms in that seat before choosing not to seek reelection in 1962 due to health reasons. In 1964, Mrs. Blitch left the Democratic Party and endorsed Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
.
Within days of her 1954 election, Mrs. Blitch appeared on the American television show What's My Line where she was quizzed by Bennett Cerf
Bennett Cerf
Bennett Alfred Cerf was a publisher and co-founder of Random House. Cerf was also known for his own compilations of jokes and puns, for regular personal appearances lecturing across the United States, and for his television appearances in the panel game show What's My Line?.-Biography:Bennett Cerf...
, Fran Allison
Fran Allison
Fran Allison was an American television and radio comedian, personality and singer. She is best known for her starring role on the weekday NBC-TV puppet show Kukla, Fran and Ollie, which ran from 1947 to 1957, occasionally returning to the air until the mid 1980s...
, Robert Q. Lewis, and the redoubtable Dorothy Kilgallen
Dorothy Kilgallen
Dorothy Mae Kilgallen was an American journalist and television game show panelist. She started her career early as a reporter for the Hearst Corporation's New York Evening Journal after spending only two semesters at The College of New Rochelle in New Rochelle, New York...
.
After her political service, Blitch resided on St. Simons Island, Georgia. She died in San Diego on August 19, 1993 and was buried in Pinelawn Cemetery in Homerville, Georgia
Homerville, Georgia
Homerville is a city in Clinch County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,803 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Clinch County. Homerville was incorporated February 15, 1869.-Geography:...
.