ST. LOUIS -- Former Rep. Leonor K. Sullivan, the only woman ever to serve in Congress from Missouri, died Thursday at a hospital in south St. Louis County. She was 86.
Sullivan died of congestive heart failure at 1:20 a.m. at St. Anthony's Medical Center, family members said. They said she had been in declining health for the past year.
Sullivan was born in St. Louis and married Rep. John Sullivan D-Mo., on Dec. 27, 1941, and was his campaign manager in five general elections until his death in 1951.
She succeeded him as the representative from the 3rd Congressional District, which includes portions of St. Louis, in 1952 and served until her retirement in 1976. She wrote the Food Stamp acts of 1959 and 1964.
She was chairman of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee and a member of the House Banking and Currency Committee. She was also known for consumer protection legislation and for the preservation of environmental resources.
Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., who succeeded her in office, praised her.
'She was a distinguished and an effective legislator, much loved by the people of St. Louis,' Gephardt said. 'Her contributions to our community and the nation will have long-lasting effects.
'She was a strong advocate for the American consumer and one of the original authors of the food stamp program. I will miss her as a friend and an adviser,' he said.
In 1980, she married retired businessman Russell L. Archibald, who died in March 1987. Sullivan, who never had children, is survived by three sisters.
Services were scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the New Cathedral. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery.
