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From Suffrage to the Senate America's Political Women: An Encyclopedia of Leaders, Causes & Issues

Kelly, Edna Patricia Kathleen Flannery (1906-1997)

Democrat Edna Kelly of New York served in the U.S. House of Representatives from November 8, 1949 to January 3, 1969. Kelly entered politics following her husband’s death in 1942. With the encouragement of a political leader who had been a friend of her husband’s, Kelly revived the women’s auxiliary of the Madison Democratic Club and joined the staff of the Democratic Party delegation in the New York legislature. The Democratic Party chose her for its nominee to fill a vacancy created by an incumbent’s death. In her campaign, Kelly pledged to work for issues she believed to be important to women, including an investigation of milk prices, opposition to excise taxes, and the creation of day care centers.

An expert in foreign policy, particularly on the Soviet bloc, she supported the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as a defense against Communism and helped write the legislation that created the Peace Corps. She consistently opposed any programs that would provide aid to Communist nations, particularly Yugoslavia, and successfully passed amendments that excluded those nations from aid programs. She passed a measure leading to an international effort that resettled more than 1.5 million displaced persons, primarily of Eastern European and Russian descent, following World War II. She was also instrumental in sponsoring measures that provided financial assistance to educational and health institutions in Israel. She held the leadership position of secretary of the Democratic Caucus in the 83rd, 84th, and 88th Congresses (1953-1955, 1955-1957, and 1963-1965) and was Democratic national committeewoman for New York from 1956 to 1968. Redistricting in 1968 placed her and another incumbent in the same congressional district, and despite a spirited primary campaign, Edna Kelly lost the election.

Born in East Hampton, New York, Edna Kelly earned her BA from Hunter College in 1928.

See also: Congress, Women in; Democratic Party, Women in the

References: Engelbarts, Women in the United States Congress, 1917-1972 (1974); H. W. Wilson, Current Biography: Who’s News and Why, 1949 (1949); The New York Times, December 17, 1997; Tolchin, Women in Congress: 1917-1976 (1976).

Citation Types

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Format
MLA 9th
"Kelly, Edna Patricia Kathleen Flannery (1906-1997)." From Suffrage to the Senate America's Political Women: An Encyclopedia of Leaders, Causes & Issues, edited by Suzanne O’Dea, Salem Press, 2019. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=Suffrage3e_0514.
APA 7th
Kelly, Edna Patricia Kathleen Flannery (1906-1997). From Suffrage to the Senate America's Political Women: An Encyclopedia of Leaders, Causes & Issues, In S. O’Dea (Ed.), Salem Press, 2019. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=Suffrage3e_0514.
CMOS 17th
"Kelly, Edna Patricia Kathleen Flannery (1906-1997)." From Suffrage to the Senate America's Political Women: An Encyclopedia of Leaders, Causes & Issues, Edited by Suzanne O’Dea. Salem Press, 2019. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=Suffrage3e_0514.