Eliza Jane Pratt, first North Carolina Congresswoman, to be Featured on N.C. Highway Historical Marker

The first woman to represent North Carolina in Congress soon will be recognized with a North Carolina Highway Historical Marker. The N.C. Historical Marker Program is part of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

The marker commemorating the life and achievements of Eliza Jane Pratt will be dedicated Wednesday, March 25 at 2 p.m. at the intersection of U.S. Hwy 52 and N.C. Hwy 145 in Morven, N.C.

Born March 5, 1902, Pratt worked as a congressional aide for many years before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1946.

Pratt, who learned secretarial skills at Kings Business College in Charlotte, N.C., accepted a secretarial position working for North Carolina Congressman William Cicero Hammer in Washington, D.C., in 1924. His district stretched from the mountains of North Carolina into the sandhills regions - areas very familiar to Pratt. Following Hammer's death in 1930, his successors continued to employ Pratt, who served Hinton James, John Walter Lambeth, and William O. Burgin when they were in Congress.

When Burgin died, the North Carolina Democratic Party, fearing a surging Republican Party in the mountains, chose Pratt, who had built a strong rapport with the congressmen's constituents. She won the special election for the vacant seat, taking all 12 counties in the district with nearly a 4-to-1 margin. She was sworn in on June 3, 1946, serving out Burgin's unexpired term. However, the Democrats backed a male candidate during the next election.

After serving in Congress, she continued her employment in several Federal agencies, eventually returning to serve as a congressional secretary before retiring from the public sector in 1962. In the private sector, she continued to advocate for the citizens of North Carolina by expanding telephone service to rural areas.

Contemplating the role of women in North Carolina politics, Pratt later found reason for hope.

"The men here were slow to accept suffrage, and the majority have not yet fully recognized women as equal political partners," Pratt said. "But, looking back, I can remember the time when only a handful of women would turn out for a rally. Now they sometimes outnumber the men. And they work as regular members of a campaign organization. Unfortunately, when a campaign ends, they are all too often relegated to their former roles as second-class politicians."

It took another 46 years after Pratt's congressional service before North Carolina elected another woman as a representative. The Honorable Eva Clayton was elected in 1992.

Pratt died in Charlotte, on May 13, 1981, and is buried in Raeford City Cemetery, Raeford, N.C.

For more information about the historical marker, please visit https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2026/02/06/eliza-jane-pratt-1902-1981-k-71, or call (919) 814-6625.

The Highway Historical Marker Program is a collaboration between the N.C. departments of Natural and Cultural Resources and Transportation.

About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural ResourcesThe N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina - its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. At more than 100 sites across the state, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency. For more information, please visit https://www.dncr.nc.gov.

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