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JWR VerifiedJWR-2026-000172

First Jewish Woman Elected to the United States Congress

Record holder

Florence Prag KahnPerson

Record value

17 February 1925

Country represented: United StatesAchievement location: San Francisco, California, United StatesAchievement date: 17 February 1925Current record

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Verified by Jewish World RecordsHow we verify records

Portrait of U.S. Representative Florence Prag Kahn.

Florence Prag Kahn, U.S. Representative from California.Harris & Ewing / Library of CongressWikimedia CommonsPublic domain

Official record definition

The earliest woman whose Jewish identity is documented and who won election to a seat in the United States Congress.

Measurement methodology

Chronological review of women in Congress combined with the U.S. House's explicit identification of Kahn as the first Jewish woman elected to Congress.

Record story

Florence Prag Kahn holds the record as the First Jewish Woman Elected to the United States Congress. The achievement occurred on 17 February 1925, when she won a special election in San Francisco, California, to secure a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. The election was held to fill the congressional vacancy left by her late husband, Julius Kahn. This chronological first is explicitly confirmed by the U.S. House of Representatives' History, Art & Archives office, which identifies Kahn as the first Jewish woman elected to Congress.

An American educator and legislator, Kahn went on to win five additional elections, ultimately serving in the House of Representatives until 1937. Official congressional biographical records document her career and confirm her heritage as the daughter of Polish-Jewish immigrants, establishing the eligibility for this landmark achievement.

Media

How JWR verified this record

Verification date
26 September 2026
Verification standard
JWR Verification Standard 1.0

Achievement evidence

U.S. House records confirm Kahn's special-election victory on 17 February 1925 and subsequent House service.

Superiority evidence

The U.S. House History, Art & Archives office explicitly states that Kahn became the first Jewish woman elected to Congress.

Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Jewish eligibility verification

Evidence establishing that the holder qualifies as Jewish for JWR purposes.

  • KAHN, Florence Prag — Extended Biography — U.S. House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives

Achievement / record verification

Evidence establishing that the holder achieved the result and holds the record as defined.

  • KAHN, Florence Prag — U.S. House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives
  • Florence Prag Kahn portrait — Library of Congress / Wikimedia Commons

Superiority / counter-candidate verification

Evidence comparing the result with other candidates relevant to the record claim.

  • Representative Florence Kahn of California — U.S. House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives

Jewish eligibility, achievement and superiority evidence retain their separate classifications and are never merged. Context and provenance are not presented as proof of the achievement. Restricted evidence and internal research notes are never published. Learn more about the seven-stage process on the verification page.

Sources & Verification

  • Representative Florence Kahn of California

    Official recordU.S. House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives

    What this proves: States that Florence Kahn became the first Jewish woman elected to Congress on 17 February 1925.

  • KAHN, Florence Prag

    Official recordU.S. House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives

    What this proves: Confirms Kahn's election, congressional service, birth/death data and career.

  • KAHN, Florence Prag — Extended Biography

    Official recordU.S. House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives

    What this proves: Documents Kahn as the daughter of Polish-Jewish immigrants and explicitly identifies her as the first Jewish woman elected to Congress.

  • Florence Prag Kahn portrait

    Reference databaseLibrary of Congress / Wikimedia Commons

    What this proves: Provides the archival Harris & Ewing portrait under a no-known-restrictions/public-domain path.

History

  1. Verified

    Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.

  2. Publishedv1

    Published to the official JWR registry.

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