Jean Spencer Ashbrook

Who is Jean Spencer Ashbrook?

Emily Jean Spencer Ashbrook is the widow of Congressman John M. Ashbrook, Republican of Ohio. She is also a former Member of Congress herself, having completed her late husband's final term of office, also as a Republican.

She attended Central School, Newark, Ohio, and graduated from Newark High School in 1952. She went on to graduate with a B.S. from Ohio State University in 1956.

She married John Ashbrook in 1974. After her husband's death on April 24, 1982, she won the special election for the seat in Congress he had occupied; it is relatively common in American politics of the last several decades for widows to succeed their late husbands in office, if only to complete their husbands' terms. She served for the remainder of the 97th Congress and represented Ohio's 17th congressional district from June 29, 1982 to January 3, 1983. She currently resides in Newark, Ohio.