Frances Payne Bolton (1885–1977)
Frances Payne Bolton (1885–1977) was a direct descendant of a Lake County, America Revolutionary War patriot and was a pioneering public servant who became the first woman elected to Congress from Ohio, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1940 to 1969. Although she lived in neighboring Cuyahoga County, she represented a district that included Lake County at various times, giving the region a direct voice in national policymaking during World War II and the early Cold War. She authored the landmark Bolton Act, which expanded nursing education nationwide and strengthened America’s military medical readiness, securing her place as one of the most influential advocates for healthcare and women’s leadership in American history. The Case Western Reserve University School of Nursing bears her name as the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing.
