Iris Faircloth Blitch

Iris Faircloth Blitch (April 25, 1912 – August 19, 1993) was a United States representative from Georgia. She was the fourth woman to represent Georgia in the Congress, Blitch was a vocal advocate both for women's rights and racial segregation.

Early life Blitch was born near Vidalia, Georgia and attended the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens in 1929. She also attended South Georgia College in Douglas in 1949. She won election to the state Senate again in 1952 and remained in that position through December 31, 1954. She won re-election to three additional terms in that seat before choosing not to seek reelection in 1962 due to severe arthritis. In 1964, Blitch left the Democratic Party and endorsed Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater. She switched back to the Democratic Party to campaign for Jimmy Carter during his gubernatorial election.

Five days after her 1954 election, Blitch appeared on the American television show What's My Line.

Later life After her political service, Blitch resided on St. Simons Island, Georgia, until 1988, when she moved to San Diego, California, to be closer to her daughter. She died there on August 19, 1993, and was buried in Pine Forest Cemetery in Homerville, Georgia.