Evening star., 1941-05-28
Mrs. Byron Due
To Take Seat
In House Soon
Maryland Elects
\ Its First Woman
To Congress
Nv BEN HI, PEARSE.

williamsport, the winner in a
closely contested special election
yesterday to succeed her late hus-
band as Representative of Mary
lands 9Th district, was expected in
Washington soon to qualify for her
hard-won House seat as soon as
necessary formalities can be COM
piled with.
After spending most of the night
reading congratulatory kilograms
and taking telephone calls from
friends, Mrs. Byron said she planned
to spend the day resting at her
Williamsport home.
5She is ready to take office, she
said, as soon as the formalities have
been observed. She has no plans,
otherwise, except that she will spend
the summer at her home at BIT
Woodley road NV, running out to
Williamsport for week ends.
Disproving the forecasts of lead
ers Of her own Democratic party
that q woman could not be elected
at q time when international affairs
are In a critical stage, Mrs. Byron
defeated A. Charles Stewart OF
Frostburg, the Republican candidate,
by about 200 votes and will become
Maryland's first woman Representa-
tive. She was elected to serve until
January /, l943.
Ironically, it was the majorities
piled up in Montgomery, Frederick
and Washington, the three counties
where the attitude toward her
nomination was either lukeWarm or
definitely hostile, that carried the
day and topped the last-minute
rush of Republican votes in tradi-
tionally Republican Garrett and
Allegany counties.
Vote Is 25,S38 to s4,635.
Unofficial returns compiled by the
Associated Press gave Mrs. Byron
25.870 votes and Mr.. Stewart 24,757,
with all of the 299 polling places
reported.
Taking an early lead in the vot-
ing, which was light throughout
the five counties of the district.
Mrs. Byron maintained a margin
OF 800 to 5000 votes.
In Montgomery County, where
automatic voting machines made
results available first. Mrs. Byron
piled up a majority of 2,471 votes,
polling 1856 to 1885 for Mr..
Stewart. The vote was far short
of the county total in 1888, when
more than $4,000 ballots were cast,
and in the presidential year last fall,
when nearly $4,000 votes were tabu-
lated.
Less Than $4,000 Votes.
Throughout the district less than
30, 900 votes were cast in comparison
with more than 10000 last Novem-
Der, when Mrs. Byron's husband
opposed Walter johnson, former
Washington pitching star and Re-
publican nominee.
The campaign was almost free OF
important issues, but was enlivened
toward its close by an Endorsement
Of Mrs. Byron's candidacy by Mrs.
Eleanor Roosevelt, and a brief furry
over support by the C. l. o. unions
in the western part of the district.
Mrs. Byron's managers attempted to
make political capital of C. I. o.
Endorsement of Mr.. Stewart, but
were answered by publication of a
letter signed by Mrs. Byron several
weeks before, asking c. I. o. support.
Granddaughter of G. o. P. Senator.
She reaffirmed her campaign
pledges to carry on for my hus-
band and try to do as good job as
he would have done" for the district.
She will be the ninth woman in the
present House Womens organiza-
tions throughout the district took a
leading part in her campaign.
Mrs Byron, a vivacious, 37-year-
old brunei and mother of five chill
dren, is the daughter of the late
C. Goodloe Edgar, figure in the
national sugar business until he was
commissioned general in charge of
construction in aviation during the
World War. Her mother is the
former Mary McComas, daughter of
the late Senator Louis E. McComas
of Maryland, Republican. He rep
resented the same 9th Maryland dis
trict before he was elected to the
Senate. He was a member of the
District of Columbia bench when he
died in 1906.
Educated in Washington.
Her family has for generations
held membership in the Protestant
Episcopal Church and her husband
was a vestryman of st. Johns Epis-
Scopal Church in Hagerstown at the
time of his death She was educated
at the Holton Arms School here and
the Westover School in Middlebury,
Conn. She married Mr. Byron Oc-
tober 3, 1923. Their sons are William
D., jr., 16; James, 13; Goodloe. II;
David, 8, and Louis McComas
Byron, 8.
The present Board of Supervisors
Of Elections of Montgomery County
IS expected to hold its last meet
ing today to canvass the vote. The
supervisors, recently appointed by
Gov. O'Conor for two-year terms
starting the first Monday in June,
will organize early next week.
~ SIXTH DISTRICT RESULTS.