Evening star., 1951-07-20
Days Of Work
Bring Success
To Mrs. Kee
By Ann Cline


By Ann Cline
Hour after hour of work some
times pays of and sometimes it
doesn't. But for Mrs. John Kee,
wife of the late Representative
from West Virginia. it did.
For a month now, she has been
getting up at 4::30 or in the
morning. going out into the seven
districts her husband represented.
and campaigning in her own be-
half to fill his unexpired term.
Wednesday evening, Mrs. Kee
received the good news. She had
defeated her Republican opponent
and by so doing. became the first
woman elected to Congress from
West Virginia.
Mrs. Kee went back to West
Virginia on June Is to accept
the Democratic nomination, and
from that date on she was as
"busy as a beaver" Her days
that began so early, usually didn't
END until 10 or II at night. And
that wasn't just one or two days
Ia week-it was every day.
Routine Tokes Time
/ Only the necessary mechanics,
that will take a few more days to
complete, delay the administering
Iof the oath of Office to Mrs. Kee
by Speaker of the House Sam
IRayburn. The procedure is that
the county courts in the seven
districts have to meet to count
officially and certify the results Of
the election to the Secretary o1
State of the State of West Vir-
ginia. He then prepares a GER
tificate for the signature of the
Governor, and it then is turned
over to the clerk Of the House o1
Representatives. He receives II
for the files, notifies the Speaker
, who then administers the oath.
!, Mrs. Kee is not taking over 9
job with which she is unfamiliar
, for she was her husbands "righ
|, hand" from 1884, when she Wen
= in as his secretary to relieve hin
p of some Of the work that frs
i, brought on his coronary condition
And while he was chairman of tn,
very active House Foreign Affair
n Committee, she handled most o
q the Congressional routine.
: Among Mrs. KEGS hearties
: Irooters were her son and daughter
r Iin-law, Mr.. and Mrs. James Kee
o and her three granddaughter
v Kristen, Kathleen and Karen. Il
IS fact, Kristen and Kathleen wen
n to West Virginia with their fathe
n to be near the candidate the las
Y few days before the election.
e Kathleen returned by plane wit
IS Mr.. Kee, and Kristen and he
i grandmother are enroute to Wash
n ington by automobile. They let
d around noon yesterday and ex
K. pect to arrive in the Capita
IS sometime this evening.
If The junior Mr.. Kee is foreig
service staff officer and he and hi
family make their home in Wash
Iington.
= Club Affiliations
n Mrs. Kee. who is member {
0, the Woman's National Democrat!
l. Club. the American Newspape
y, Women's Club and who is an acti,
n. member of Christ Episcopal Churc
". in Bluefield and st. James Epis
he copal Church, Washington, fol
Up merly wrote a column for a nun
le ber of West Virginia papers. Sh
ly gave that up when her husban
er became a member of the Hous
lp Foreign Affairs Committee to dt
I'd vote her attention to the offit
j. work.
We One of her pet projects, howeve
#. Is the library at the Woodro
X Wilson Rehabilitation Center {;
i'll Fishersville. Va. She played a
m important part in establishing
N lat the center. which is an institl
s. tion for the restoration to
,e normal life and self -supportir
IN status of crippled and otherwi.
1e handicapped persons of both sexe
le She also was instrumental in 81
ut liciting contributions of more tina
ce 10000 books for the library.
err A vacation is not in sight fl
in Mrs. Kee. She plans to return
10 her Office Monday. and as soon
la she is sworn in, she will be "rigl
e. in the middle Of it," to quote HI
or son.