Jo Ann Emerson

(wife of Bill Emerson), a Representative from Missouri; born in Bethesda, Montgomery County, Md., September 16, 1950; graduated from Walt Whitman High School, Bethesda, Md., 1968; B.A., Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, 1972; professional advocate; elected as a Republican to the One Hundred Fourth Congress, by special election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of her husband, United States Representative Bill Emerson, and simultaneously elected as an Independent to the One Hundred Fifth Congress; resumed prior party affiliation as a Republican at the start of the One Hundred Fifth Congress; reelected as a Republican to the One Hundred Sixth and to the seven succeeding Congresses until her resignation on January 22, 2013 (November 5, 1996-January 22, 2013).