Dwyer, Florence Price (1902–1976)

U.S. Representative, a Republican from New Jersey, who served in Congress from 1957 to 1973. Born Florence

Louise Price in Reading, Pennsylvania, on July 4, 1902; died in Elizabeth, New Jersey, on February 29, 1976; briefly attended the University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio.

A 16-year veteran of the House of Representatives, Florence Dwyer moved to New Jersey after her marriage and worked on the 1940 campaign of presidential candidate Wendell Willke. In 1950, after several years as a lobbyist for the New Jersey Business and Professional clubs, she was elected to the state assembly, where she won passage of a law guaranteeing equal pay for women and helped established the first minimum salary schedule for New Jersey teachers. She won election to the House in 1956, defeating Democrat Harrison Williams, who later served as a U.S. senator. As a representative, Dwyer concentrated on issues of consumer protection, women's equality, and procedural reform within the House. She was a chief sponsor of the act creating the Consumer Protection Agency and a staunch supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment. During consideration of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970, she authored an amendment requiring the recording of individual votes. Under the presidency of her fellow Republican Richard Nixon, she urged the appointment of more women to federal office. Dwyer, who was never seriously challenged for her seat, retired from politics in 1972. She died in Elizabeth, New Jersey, on February 29, 1976.