Georgia Lee Lusk - Congresswoman

Congresswoman

In 1946 she entered the campaign for the Democratic nomination for one of New Mexico's two at-large seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. She beat all odds to win the primary over six rivals, all of which were notable Democratic bosses. Lusk somehow defied and prevailed over the heavily entrenched patronage in the State Democratic Party, which sent shock waves through state politics but was overshadowed when she handily won the general election and became the first woman ever to represent New Mexico in the United States Congress.

As a member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Lusk supported many of the President Harry S. Truman's administration's domestic programs (although she voted to override President Truman's veto of the Taft-Hartley Act) and was a staunch backer of the administration's foreign policy proposals, voting for assistance to Greece and Turkey and endorsing universal military training. She also supported establishment of a cabinet-level Department of Education. Lusk ran for renomination to her at-large seat in the June 1948 primary but the enemies she made in 1946 did her in. She fell just short of the vote received by former Governor John E. Miles. Another woman would not serve New Mexico in Congress until Heather Wilson in 1997.

In September 1949 President Truman appointed her to the War Claims Commission, where she served with other Democratic appointees until their dismissal by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in December 1953. Returning to New Mexico, Lusk was elected to two additional terms as state superintendent and served from 1955 to 1960.