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Rohde, Ruth, née Bryan 1885-1954
US diplomat and feminist

Born in Jacksonville, Illinois, she was educated at Monticello Female Academy and Nebraska University. In 1910 she married Reginald Owen, an English army major who was left an invalid after World War I. To support her family she entered politics as a Democrat in Florida, and in 1928 successfully ran for Congress, becoming the first Congresswoman from the South. Defying accusations of ineligibility for Congress because of her marriage to a foreigner, her remarkable victory on feminist grounds resulted in an amendment to the Cable Act. In 1933 she was appointed US Minister to Denmark, the first US diplomatic post ever held by a woman. Returning to the USA in 1936, she helped to draft the United States Charter, and received the Order of Merit from King Frederik IX of Denmark.