Jo Ann Davis, 57; elected to Congress as Virginia’s first female Republican

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Davis, a Republican who represented southeastern Virginia for seven years, died Saturday at her home in Gloucester, Va., after a two-year battle with breast cancer, her office said. She was 57.

Davis was found to have breast cancer in 2005 and had a recurrence this year. Her health took a turn for the worse during the last week, her office said.

She became Virginia’s first Republican woman elected to Congress in 2000 and was a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Davis’ first piece of legislation, passed by the House in 2001, increased the life insurance benefit paid to survivors of military members killed while on duty.

“She inspired Virginians as she battled breast cancer while continuing to serve the commonwealth,” Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, a Democrat, said in a statement.

The governor will schedule a special election, probably before the end of the year, to fill the remaining year of Davis’ term, Kaine spokeswoman Delacey Skinner said.

Before being elected to Congress, Davis served four years in the Virginia House of Delegates.

Davis, a conservative who came from modest means, was known for her unquenchable inquisitiveness and how quickly and deeply she learned about any legislative issue.

Born in Rowan County, N.C., on June 29, 1950, Davis attended Hampton Roads Business College. She got her real estate license in 1984 and her real estate broker’s license four years later. In 1990, she opened Jo Ann Davis Realty.

She underwent chemotherapy treatments and a mastectomy when her cancer was first diagnosed in 2005. When the cancer returned this year, she underwent chemotherapy again and often monitored hearings from home.

Survivors include her husband, Chuck; two sons; and a granddaughter.