Katharine Edgar Byron 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...

, was a U.S. Congresswoman

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...

 who represented the 6th congressional district of Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

 from May 27, 1941 to January 3, 1943. She was the first woman elected to Congress from Maryland.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Byron attended public schools, the Westover School

Westover School

The Westover School, often referred to simply as "Westover," is an independent college-preparatory day and boarding school for girls. Located in Middlebury, Connecticut, USA, the school offers grades 9-12...

 of Middlebury, Connecticut

Middlebury, Connecticut

Middlebury is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 6,451 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....

, and Holton Arms School of Washington, D.C., and later moved to Williamsport, Maryland

Williamsport, Maryland

Williamsport is a town in Washington County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,868 at the 2000 census and 2,278 as of July 2008.-Geography: Williamsport is located at ....

, in 1922. The Byrons were communicants of Saint John's Church

Saint John's Church (Hagerstown, Maryland)

St. John's Church, or St. John's Episcopal Church, founded in 1786, is an historic Episcopal church located at 101 South Prospect Street in the South Prospect Street Historic District of Hagerstown, Maryland...

. She was elected to Congress in a special election held May 27, 1941 to replace her husband, Representative William D. Byron

William D. Byron

William Devereux Byron, II , a Democrat, was a U.S. Congressman who represented the 6th congressional district of Maryland from January 3, 1939 to February 27, 1941. After his death in an airplane crash in Georgia on February 27, 1941, his widow, Katharine Byron, a granddaughter of U.S. Senator...

, after his death in an airplane crash in Georgia on February 27, 1941. She was not a candidate for reelection and retired in Washington, D.C., where she died. She is interred in Riverview Cemetery of Williamsport, Maryland.

Byron was a granddaughter of U.S. Senator Louis E. McComas

Louis E. McComas

Louis Emory McComas , a Republican, was a member of the U.S. Congress from the sixth district of Maryland from 1883 to 1891, and a member of the United States Senate from 1899 to 1905, each time representing the State of Maryland. His granddaughter, Katharine Byron, and great-grandson, Goodloe...

 and her son Goodloe Byron

Goodloe Byron

Goodloe Edgar Byron , a Democrat, was a U.S. Congressman who represented the 6th congressional district of Maryland from January 3, 1971 until his death on October 11, 1978...

was also a representative from the 6th district.