Edith Nourse Rogers

Edith Nourse Rogers
Chair of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee
In office January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1955
Preceded by	John E. Rankin
Succeeded by	Olin E. Teague
In office January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	John E. Rankin
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 5th district
In office June 30, 1925 – September 10, 1960
Preceded by	John Jacob Rogers
Succeeded by	F. Bradford Morse
Personal details
Born	Edith Nourse (1881-03-19)March 19, 1881 Saco, Maine, U.S.
Died	September 10, 1960(1960-09-10) (aged 79) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	John Jacob Rogers ​ ​ (m. 1907; died 1925)​
Rogers's voice Rogers speaks in support of declaring war on Japan Recorded December 8, 1941

Edith Rogers (née Nourse; March 19, 1881 – September 10, 1960) was an American social welfare volunteer and politician who served as a Republican in the United States Congress. She was the first woman elected to Congress from Massachusetts. Until 2012, she was the longest serving Congresswoman and was the longest serving female Representative until 2018 (a record now held by Marcy Kaptur).^[1] In her 35 years in the House of Representatives she was a powerful voice for veterans and sponsored seminal legislation, including the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (commonly known as the G.I. Bill), which provided educational and financial benefits for veterans returning home from World War II, the 1942 bill that created the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), and the 1943 bill that created the Women's Army Corps (WAC). She was also instrumental in bringing federal appropriations to her constituency, Massachusetts's 5th congressional district.^[2]