Virginia Smith, 94; Retired Congresswoman From Nebraska

Virginia Smith, 94, an agriculture advocate who represented Nebraska in Congress for 16 years, died Monday of pneumonia at Sun City West, Ariz.

Smith was born in Randolph, Iowa, and earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Nebraska. She was involved in Nebraska Republican politics and farm organizations for many years. From 1955 to 1974, she was national chairwoman of the International Farm Bureau Women. She was a member of the Nebraska board of education from 1950 to 1960, and she headed a task force on rural development from 1971 to 1972.

At 63, she was elected to Congress in 1974 after defeating seven men in the Republican primary and narrowly beating her Democratic opponent in the general election. She went on to win reelection every two years until she retired in 1991.

In Congress, she became the top GOP member of the rural development, agriculture and related agencies subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee.