IV 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 634 
Acknowledging the 25th anniversary of the nomination of Representative 
Geraldine A. Ferraro as the first woman selected by a major political 
party as its candidate for Vice President. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 13, 2009 
Mr. CROWLEY (for himself, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. ISRAEL, Mr. 
ENGEL, Mr. ARCURI, Mr. MASSA, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. HALL of New York, 
Mr. MCMAHON, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. FIL-
NER, Mr. MURPHY of New York, and Mr. NADLER of New York) sub-
mitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
House Administration 
RESOLUTION 
Acknowledging the 25th anniversary of the nomination of 
Representative Geraldine A. Ferraro as the first woman 
selected by a major political party as its candidate for 
Vice President. 
Whereas, July 19, 2009, marks the 25th anniversary of Con-
gresswoman Geraldine A. Ferraro’s acceptance of the 
nomination of the Democratic Party for the office of Vice 
President of the United States; 
Whereas Congresswoman Ferraro worked her way through 
law school at Fordham University, at a time when very 
few women did so; 
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•HRES 634 IH 
Whereas Congresswoman Ferraro then joined the Queens 
County District Attorney’s Office, where she supervised 
the prosecution of a variety of violent crimes, including 
child and domestic abuse; 
Whereas in 1978, New York’s Ninth Congressional District 
in Queens elected Congresswoman Ferraro to the United 
States House of Representatives, where she was one of 
only 16 women Members of the House; 
Whereas her House colleagues rewarded Congresswoman Fer-
raro’s legislative and political talents by making her part 
of the elected House leadership, as Secretary of the 
House Democratic Caucus; 
Whereas Congresswoman Ferraro’s legislative achievements 
included her sponsorship of the Women’s Economic Eq-
uity Act, landmark legislation to end pension discrimina-
tion, and provide increased job training and opportunities 
for women re-entering the workforce; 
Whereas in 1984, Congresswoman Ferraro’s status as a lead-
er was confirmed when she was named Chairwoman of 
the Platform Committee for the Democratic Convention, 
the first woman to hold that position; 
Whereas when she was nominated as the running mate of 
Vice President Walter F. Mondale in the 1984 presi-
dential race, Congresswoman Ferraro became the first 
woman ever chosen to run on the national ticket of either 
of the two major political parties; 
Whereas that nomination also marked the only time an 
Italian-American has been nominated as a major-party 
candidate in a national election; 
Whereas Congresswoman Ferraro’s Vice Presidential can-
didacy continued the progress begun by women who 
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•HRES 634 IH 
achieved political firsts before her, including Jeanette 
Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress, Margaret 
Chase Smith, the first woman elected to the Senate in 
her own right, Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first Asian 
American/Pacific Islander woman elected to Congress, 
and Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman 
elected to Congress; 
Whereas Congresswoman Ferraro’s candidacy helped to tear 
down barriers to the full and equal participation of 
women in national politics; 
Whereas in 1984, there were two women Members of the 
United States Senate, and 22 women Members of the 
United States House of Representatives; 
Whereas in the current, 111th Congress, there are 17 women 
Members of the United States Senate, and 75 women 
Members of the House, including the first woman ever to 
serve as Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy 
Pelosi; 
Whereas in 2008, our country saw historic barriers fall with 
a presidential race that featured historic candidacies in 
both parties, and culminated in the election of the first 
African-American president in our Nation’s history; 
Whereas in January 1993, President Clinton appointed Ms. 
Ferraro a United States Ambassador to the United Na-
tions Commission on Human Rights, a role from which 
she championed the rights of women around the world; 
and 
Whereas Geraldine Ferraro’s 1984 bid for Vice President 
helped our daughters join our sons in believing they could 
achieve anything they set their minds to: Now, therefore, 
be it 
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•HRES 634 IH 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes that Geraldine Ferraro’s vice- 
presidential candidacy forever enriched the American 
political landscape and forged a new path for Amer-
ican women, and congratulates her on the 25th anni-
versary of the acceptance of her nomination; 
(2) pays tribute to Congresswoman Geraldine 
A. Ferraro’s work to improve the lives of women and 
families not only in the Ninth Congressional District 
of New York, who she represented so well, but also 
the lives of women and families all across the United 
States; and 
(3) appreciates Geraldine Ferraro’s life story, a 
daughter of immigrants who studied hard to become 
a teacher and later worked her way through law 
school and served as a prosecuting attorney, a wife 
and mother who has fought to create a more just 
world in which her three children and all children 
could thrive, and a Congresswoman and Vice Presi-
dential candidate who inspired a generation, espe-
cially women, to run for and serve in public office. 
Æ 
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