Iris Faircloth Blitch

Iris Faircloth Blitch
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 8th district
In office January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1963
Preceded by	William McDonald Wheeler
Succeeded by	James Russell Tuten
Personal details
Born	(1912-04-25)April 25, 1912 Toombs County, Georgia
Died	San Diego, California
Political party	Democratic; Republican

Iris Faircloth Blitch (April 25, 1912 – August 19, 1993) was a United States Representative from Georgia. She was the third woman elected to Congress from Georgia. Blitch was born near Vidalia, Georgia and attended the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens in 1929. She also attended South Georgia College in Douglas in 1949. Blitch worked with her husband in the drug business, naval stores in industry and farming in Homerville, Georgia.

In 1946, Blitch was elected to the Georgia Senate, and she was subsequently elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1948 but lost her reelection bid to that office in 1950. She won election to the state Senate again in 1952 and remained in that position through December 31, 1954. From 1948 through 1954, Blitch was Georgia's Democratic Party national committee member.

Running a successful campaign for Georgia's 8th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat, Blitch served in the 84th United States Congress. A staunch segregationist, in 1956, Blitch signed "The Southern Manifesto." She won reelection to three additional terms in that seat before choosing not to seek reelection in 1962 due to health reasons. In 1964, Mrs. Blitch left the Democratic Party and endorsed Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater.

Within days of her 1954 election, Blitch appeared on the American television show What's My Line.

After her political service, Blitch resided on St. Simons Island, Georgia. She died in San Diego on August 19, 1993 and was buried in Pinelawn Cemetery in Homerville, Georgia.

References

• Iris Faircloth Blitch at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• NY Times Obituary
• OCLC's Authority records for 20060201

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by William M. Wheeler	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 8th congressional district January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1963	Succeeded by J. Russell Tuten