Eliza Jane Pratt, the first woman to represent North Carolina in Congress, will be recognized with a North Carolina Highway Historical Marker, according to a March 18 announcement from the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
The marker will honor Pratt’s life and achievements and is scheduled for dedication on Wednesday, March 25 at 2 p.m. at the intersection of U.S. Highway 52 and N.C. Highway 145 in Morven, North Carolina. The event is part of the N.C. Historical Marker Program.
Pratt was born on March 5, 1902, and began her career as a congressional aide before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1946. She started as a secretary for Congressman William Cicero Hammer in Washington, D.C., in 1924 and continued working for his successors after his death. When Congressman William O. Burgin died, Pratt was chosen by the Democratic Party to run for his seat due to her strong connection with constituents. She won the special election by a wide margin and served out Burgin’s unexpired term but was not selected as the party’s candidate in the following election.
After leaving Congress, Pratt worked for several federal agencies before retiring from public service in 1962. In her later years, she advocated for expanding telephone service to rural areas of North Carolina.
Reflecting on women’s roles in politics during her time, Pratt said: “The men here were slow to accept suffrage, and the majority have not yet fully recognized women as equal political partners… 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 would be another 46 years after Pratt’s service before another woman from North Carolina—Eva Clayton—was elected to Congress in 1992.
Pratt died on May 13, 1981, in Charlotte and is buried at Raeford City Cemetery.
More information about the historical marker can be found at https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2026/02/06/eliza-jane-pratt-1902-1981-k-71 or by calling (919) 814-6625.
