Eslick, Willa McCord Blake, 1878-1961

Willa McCord Blake Eslick (September 8, 1878 – February 18, 1961) was an American civic activist and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the first woman to represent Tennessee in the United States Congress, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from August 1932 to March 1933.

Born Willa McCord Blake in Fayetteville, Tennessee, she attended private schools, Dick White College and Milton College in Fayetteville, Winthrop Model School and Peabody College in Nashville, Tennessee, and the Metropolitan College of Music and Synthetic School of Music in New York City. After college, she became active in Democratic politics, served on the Tennessee Democratic Committee, and became a civic activist. Willa Blake married Edward Everett Eslick, a lawyer from Pulaski, Tennessee, on June 6, 1906. Edward Eslick would go on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 1925 until his death in June 1932.

Following her husband's death, Tennessee Democratic officials prevailed upon the widow Eslick to seek the nomination for the August special election to fill the vacant seat. Willa Eslick agreed, defeating three opponents in the special election that August. As a Representative, she received assignments on two committees: the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds—a position her husband held throughout his tenure in the House—and the Committee on World War Veterans’ Legislation. As Edward Eslick died after the filing deadline for the 1932 congressional primary, Willa Eslick was not eligible for re-election to the 73rd Congress. She retired from public life in March 1933 and later returned to her home state. Eslick died at age 82 on February 18, 1961, in Pulaski, Tennessee.