Born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on November 13, 1882, to Patrick J. O'Hara, she was of Irish descent. Sophia established herself as a lawyer and joined the Luzerne County bar, earning admission to practice in both state and federal courts.
O'Hara was appointed Deputy Attorney General of Pennsylvania under Governor John Stuchell Fisher in 1927, serving until 1935. She also held the position of President of the Pennsylvania Republican Council of Women from 1929 to 1934, before becoming Vice Chairman of the Republican State Committee from 1934 to 1938. Additionally, she served as an alternate delegate to the Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania in 1928 and 1936.
Following Arthur James's election as Governor, O'Hara was named to the first woman Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on January 17, 1939. Upon completion of her term on January 19, 1943, she was appointed by newly elected Governor Edward Martin as the first woman to serve as Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. In both roles, she carved paths for women to serve in increasingly meaningful leadership positions in Pennsylvania politics.
At the end of her tenure in 1947 on the Commonwealth Cabinet, O'Hara was appointed to the Parole Board by Governor James H. Duff. After 22 years of service spanning multiple governorships, she chose to retire from state work when her term with the Parole Board ended on May 1, 1953.
On April 18, 1954, O'Hara was admitted to Mercy Hospital in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. She passed away there on April 26 at the age of 71 and was laid to rest in Saint Mary's Cemetery in Hanover Township. O'Hara never married and had no children.
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Sophia M.R. O’Hara
Sophia O'Hara (1882 – 1954) was a local political trailblazer who became the first female Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, serving as a Republican from January 17, 1939, to January 19, 1943.
