Coya Knutson, the first woman elected to Congress from Minnesota, served in the House for two terms. Despite her short tenure, she crafted an important measure that created the first mechanisms for a federal student financial aid program. Knutson’s contribution to the National Defense Education Act provided loans for needy students, as well as grants for college guidance programs, educational television, and construction of vocational schools. After losing her party’s support and following her husband’s public call for her to abandon politics, she lost her 1958 re-election bid.
History, Art & Archives, U.S. House of Representatives, “Husband Asks Congresswoman to Quit,” http://history.house.gov/Collection/Detail/30816 (March 05, 2013)
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