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In Focus: Jewish Women In Politics
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- Florence Prag Kahn Biography

Florence Prag Kahn (1886-1948)

Florence Prag Kahn was the first Jewish woman to serve in the United States Congress, where, after replacing her husband, she served five terms. Though born in Salt Lake City, Utah, Kahn was raised in, and spent much of her adult life working for, the San Francisco Bay area. Graduating from the University of California, she was teaching English and History when she married Julius Kahn in 1899. Julius Kahn served the Bay area as its Republican congressman, and so she, her husband and her two sons lived in Washington, D.C. When her husband died in 1924, a special election was held and Kahn began her first term in Congress. A Republican conservative, Kahn was the first woman to serve on the Military Affairs Committee, where she worked for the military installations of her district. She played a major role in shaping the infrastructures of the area. Kahn was a member of the National Council of Jewish Women, Hadassah, and belonged to Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco.

Florence Prag Kahn
Photo credit: Florence Prag Kahn Collection at the Western Jewish History Center, Judas L. Magnes Library

 

 

How to Cite This Page
For a bibliography: Jewish Women's Archive. "JWA - Jewish Women in Politics - Florence Prag Kahn." <http://jwa.org/discover/infocus/politics/kahn.html>.

For a footnote: Jewish Women's Archive, "JWA - Jewish Women in Politics - Florence Prag Kahn," <http://jwa.org/discover/infocus/politics/kahn.html>.