Women in Congress | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives Women in Congress: An Introduction Like all history, the story of women in Congress is defined by change over time: From a complete lack of representation in Congress before 1917, women have advanced to party leadership at the start of the 21st century. At times during the near century that women have served in Congress, change has been almost imperceptible and at other times, change has been bold and dramatic. "I'm No Lady; I'm a Member of Congress," 1917–1934 Great triumphs and historic firsts highlight women’s initial foray into national political office. Four years after Jeannette Rankin of Montana was elected to the House of Representatives in 1916, women won the right to vote nationally, with the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. Rebecca Felton of Georgia became the first woman to serve in the U.S. Senate in 1922.

Onto the National Stage, 1935–1954 Thirty-six women entered Congress between 1935 and 1954, a tumultuous two decades that encompassed the Great Depression, World War II, and the start of the Cold War. Women participated in America’s survival, recovery, and ascent to world power in important and unprecedented ways; they became shapers of the welfare state, workers during wartime, and members of the military. A Changing of the Guard, 1955–1976 The third generation of women in Congress, the 39 individuals who entered the House and the Senate between 1955 and 1976, legislated during an era of upheaval in America, including the civil rights movement, protest against the Vietnam War, the women’s liberation movement and the sexual revolution, and the Watergate Scandal and efforts to reform Congress in the 1970s. Jeannette Rankin: First Woman Elected to Congress First Woman Elected to Congress Jeannette Rankin 1917.

MPI / Archive Photos / Getty Images Occupation: suffragist, peace activist , reformer Dates: June 11, 1880 - May 18, 1973 Also known as: Jeanette Rankin, Jeannette Pickering Rankin "If I had my life to live over, I would do it all again, but this time I would be nastier." - Jeannette Rankin Jeannette Rankin Biography Jeannette Pickering Rankin was born on June 11, 1880. Her father, John Rankin, was a rancher, developer and lumber merchant in Montana. Her mother, Olive Pickering, a former schoolteacher. She spent her first years on the ranch, then moved with the family to Missoula where she attended public school. She was the oldest of eleven children, seven of whom survived childhood. Education and Social Work: Rankin attended Montana State University at Missoula and graduated in 1902 with a bachelor of science degree in biology. She worked as a schoolteacher, and seamstress and studied furniture design, looking for some work to which she could commit herself.

continue reading below our video Test Your General Science Knowledge When her father died in 1902, he left money to Rankin, paid out over her lifetime. On a long trip to Boston in 1904 to visit with her brother at Harvard and with other relatives, she was inspired by slum conditions to take up the new field of social work. She became a resident in a San Francisco Settlement House for four months, then entered the New York School of Philanthropy (later, to become the Columbia School of Social Work). She returned to the west to become a social worker in Spokane, Washington, in a children's home. Social work did not, however, hold her interest long -- she only lasted a few weeks at the children's home. Jeannette Rankin and Women's Rights: Next, Rankin studied at the University of Washington in Seattle and became involved in the woman suffrage movement in 1910. Visiting Montana, Rankin became the first woman to speak before the Montana legislature, where she surprised the spectators and legislators alike with her speaking ability. She organized and spoke for the Equal Franchise Society. Rankin then moved to New York, and continued her work on behalf of women's rights.

During these years, she began her lifelong relationship with Katherine Anthony. Rankin went to work for the New York Woman Suffrage Party and in 1912 she became the field secretary of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). Rankin and Anthony were among the thousands of suffragists at the 1913 suffrage march in Washington, D.C., before the inauguration of Woodrow Wilson . Rankin returned to Montana to help organize the successful Montana suffrage campaign in 1914. To do so, she gave up her position with the NAWSA. Working for Peace and Election to Congress: As war in Europe loomed, Rankin turned her attention to work for peace, and in 1916, ran for one of the two seats in Congress from Montana as a Republican. Her brother served as campaign manager and helped finance the campaign. Jeannette Rankin won, though the papers first reported that she lost the election -- and Jeannette Rankin thus became the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress, and the first woman elected to a national legislature in any western democracy.

Rankin used her fame and notoriety in this "famous first" position to work for peace and women's rights and against child labor, and to write a weekly newspaper column. Only four days after taking office, Jeannette Rankin made history in yet another way: she voted against U.S. entry into World War I . She violated protocol by speaking during the roll call before casting her vote, announcing "I want to stand by my country, but I cannot vote for war." Some of her colleagues in NAWSA -- notably Carrie Chapman Catt -- criticized her vote as opening the suffrage cause to criticism as impractical and sentimental. Rankin did vote, later in her term, for several pro-war measures, as well as working for the political reforms including civil liberties, suffrage, birth control, equal pay and child welfare. In 1917, she opened the congressional debate on the Susan B. Anthony Amendment , which passed the House in 1917 and the Senate in 1918, to become the 19th Amendment after it was ratified by the states. But Rankin's first anti-war vote sealed her political fate.

When she was gerrymandered out of her district, she ran for the Senate, lost the primary, launched a third party race, and lost overwhelmingly. After World War I: After the war ended, Rankin continued to work for peace through the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, and also began work for the National Consumers' League . She worked, at the same time, on the staff of the American Civil Liberties Union. After a brief return to Montana to help her brother run -- unsuccessfully -- for the Senate, she moved to a farm in Georgia. She returned to Montana every summer, her legal residence. From her base in Georgia, Jeannette Rankin became Field Secretary of the WILPF and lobbied for peace. When she left the WILPF she formed the Georgia Peace Society. She lobbied for the Women's Peace Union, working for an antiwar constitutional amendment. She left the Peace Union, and began working with the National Council for the Prevention of War. She also lobbied for American cooperation with the World Court and for labor reforms and an end to child labor, including working for passage of the Sheppard-Towner Act of 1921 , a bill she had originally introduced into Congress.

Her work for a constitutional amendment to end child labor was less successful. In 1935, when a college in Georgia offered her the position of Peace Chair, she was accused of being a Communist, and ended up filing a libel suit against the Macon newspaper that had spread the accusation. The court eventually declared her, as she said, "a nice lady." In the first half of 1937, she spoke in 10 states, giving 93 speeches for peace. She supported the America First Committee, but decided that lobbying was not the most effective way to work for peace. By 1939, she had returned to Montana and was running for Congress again, supporting a strong but neutral America in yet another time of impending war. Her brother once again contributed financial support for her candidacy. Elected to Congress, Again: Elected with a small plurality, Jeannette Rankin arrived in Washington in January as one of six women in the House, two in the Senate. When, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Congress voted to declare war against Japan, Jeannette Rankin once again voted "no" to war.

She also, once again, violated long tradition and spoke before her roll call vote, this time saying "As a woman I can't go to war, and I refuse to send anyone else" as she voted alone against the war resolution. She was denounced by the press and her colleagues, and barely escaped an angry mob. She believed that Roosevelt had deliberately provoked the attack on Pearl Harbor. After Second Term in Congress: In 1943, Rankin went back to Montana rather than run for Congress again (and surely be defeated). She took care of her ailing mother and traveled worldwide, including to India and Turkey, promoting peace, and tried to found a woman's commune on her Georgia farm. In 1968, she led more than five thousand women in a protest in Washington, DC, demanding the U.S. withdraw from Vietnam, heading up the group calling itself the Jeannette Rankin Brigade. She was active in the antiwar movement, often invited to speak or honored by the young antiwar activists and feminists. Jeannette Rankin died in 1973 in California.

About Jeannette Rankin Categories: suffragist, congresswoman, pacifist, peace activist, reformer Organizational Affiliations: NAWSA, WILPF, National Consumers League, Georgia Peace Society, Jeanette Rankin Brigade Places: Montana, Georgia, United States Period: 20th century Davidson, Sue. A Heart in Politics: Jeannette Rankin and Patsy T. Mink. 1994. Giles, Kevin. Flight of the Dove: The Story of Jeannette Rankin. 1980. Josephson, Hannah Geffen. Jeannette Rankin: First Lady in Congress. 1974. Lopach, James J. Jeannette Rankin: A Political Woman. 2016. Smith, Norma. Jeannette Rankin, America's Conscience. 2002. O'Brien, Mary Barmeyer. Jeannette Rankin: 1880-1973: Bright Star in the Big Sky. 1995. Young Adult.

Lesson Plans: Women in Congress | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives Lesson Plans: Women in Congress Lesson Plans: Women in Congress Fast Facts Test your knowledge of women who served in Congress with this fact sheet. Jeannette Rankin, Mary Norton, and Shirley Chisholm are a few of the women Members who made history in the House. More > /tiles/non-collection/w/wic_cont1_1_rankin_hc.xml Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives About this object Jeannette Rankin of Montana, a suffragist and peace activist, was the first woman to serve in Congress. This page features materials designed to help teachers and students use the information presented in the Women in Congress publication in their classrooms. It includes lesson plans on the women pioneers who served on Capitol Hill from 1917 to 2006 based on the contextual essays from the Women in Congress book, as well as a series of related photographs, objects, and quotations.

Lesson Plans Lesson Plan One: “I'm No Lady, I’m a Member of Congress,” Women Pioneers on Capitol Hill, 1917-1934 - Lesson Plan (PDF) / Essay Lesson Plan Two: Onto the National Stage: Congresswomen in an Age of National Crisis, 1935-1954 - Lesson Plan (PDF) / Essay Lesson Plan Three: A Changing of the Guard: Traditionalists, Feminists, and the New Face of Women in Congress, 1955-1976 - Lesson Plan (PDF) / Essay Lesson Plan Four: Assembling, Amplifying, and Ascending: Recent Trends Among Women in Congress, 1977-2006 - Lesson Plan (PDF) / Essay Facts About Women in the House and the Senate Facts About Women in the House and the Senate Here are some facts about women who have served or are currently serving in the U.S. Congress. 313 women have been elected or appointed to the U.S. Congress. Jeannette Rankin , Republican from Montana, was the first woman elected to serve in Congress.

On November 9, 1916 , she was elected to the House of Representatives as Montana's Representative-at-Large to the 65th Congress; she served from 1917–1919. In the 114th Congress, which began in January 2015, there are 87 women in the House and 20 women in the Senate. New members of the Senate include: Joni Ernst (R), Iowa; Shelly Moore Capito (R), W.Va. and of the House: Aumua Amata (R), American Samoa; Barbara Comstock (R), Va.; Debbie Dingell (D), Mich.; Gwen Graham (D), Fla.; Brenda Lawrence (D), Mich.; Mia Love (R), Utah; Martha McSally (R), Ariz.; Stacey Plaskett (D), V.I.; Kathleen Rice (D), N.Y.; Elise Stefanik (R), N.Y.; Norma Torres (D), Calif.; Mimi Waters (R), Calif.; Bonnie Watson Coleman (D), N.J.

Of the women who have served in the House of Representatives and Senate, 46 were elected to fill vacancies caused by their husbands' deaths. 14 congresswomen have also served as Foreign Ministers, Ambassadors, and Cabinet Secretaries: Ruth Bryan Owen , Minister to Denmark, (1933–1936) Emily Taft Douglas , Representative to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), (1950) Clare Boothe Luce , Ambassador to Brazil, (1959) she was confirmed to the position but resigned before taking office Kathryn E. Granahan , Secretary of the Treasury, (1963–1967) Elizabeth Dole , Secretary of Transportation (1983–1987), and Secretary of Labor (1989–1990) Millicent Fenwick , United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture, (1983–1985) Margaret M.

Heckler , Secretary of Health & Human Services, (1983–1985), and United States Ambassador to Ireland, (1986–1989) Lynn Martin Secretary of Labor, (1991–1993) Corinne Claiborne Boggs , Ambassador to the Vatican, (1997–2001) Carol Moseley-Brau , Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, (1999–2001) Constance A. Morel , Ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, (2003–2004) and Ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, (2004–2007) Hilda L. Solis, Secretary of Labor, (2009–2013) Ellen O'Kane Tauscher , Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, Department of State, (2009–2012) EMILY's list (Early Money Is Like Yeast) is a political network to help pro-choice women Democrats get elected to political office in the U.S.

WISH List (Women In the Senate and House) is an organization that supports pro-choice Republican female candidates for Congress and governorships by contributing time or money to their campaigns. Famous Facts and Firsts Margaret Chase Smith , a Republican from Maine, holds the record for the being the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress. Originally elected in 1940 to fill the vacancy left by her dying husband, she was then elected to the Senate in 1948. Edith Nourse Rogers , a Republican from Massachusetts, holds the record for the longest service by a woman in the House of Representatives. Originally elected to fill the vacancy caused by her husband's death, she served from June 25, 1925 , until her death on September 10, 1960 . Representative Patsy Mink , a Democrat from Hawaii, was the first Asian-American woman elected to Congress, in 1965. Shirley Chisholm , a Democrat from New York, became the first black woman in Congress when she was elected to the House in 1968.

Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen , a Republican from Florida, was first elected in 1989 . She is the first Hispanic woman and first Cuban American to serve in Congress. Representative Nydia Velazquez , a Democrat from New York, was elected in 1992 and became the first Puerto Rican woman to serve in Congress. Representative Nancy Pelosi , a Democrat from California, became the first woman to head a political party. In Nov. 2002 she replaced Dick Gephardt of Missouri as House Minority Leader. In Jan. 2007 she became the first woman to be Speaker of the House. Sen. Barbara Mikulski , a Democrat from Maryland, became the longest-serving woman in Congress in March 2012, having been in office for 35 years. She served for 10 years in the House of Representatives and has been a senator for 25 years. Mikulski passed the record previously held by Edith Nourse Rogers. Tammy Baldwin , a seven-term Democratic congresswoman from Wisconsin, prevailed over former governor Tommy Thompson in the race for U.S. Senate and became the first openly gay politician elected to the Senate.

"This is a big day for gay women in America, and really, for all communities who aren't the typical straight, white, wealthy men elected to Congress," she said. Women in Congress | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives About this object Jeannette Rankin of Montana, First Woman to Serve in Congress “We will no longer wait for political power to be shared with us, we will take it.” — Representative Cardiss Collins Four years after Jeannette Rankin was elected to the House of Representatives in 1916, women won the right to vote nationally, with the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. At times, change for women in Congress has been almost imperceptible, as exemplified by the subtle shift in women’s committee assignments after World War II. At other times, change has been bold and dramatic, as evidenced by the 1992 “Year of the Woman” elections. Great triumphs and historic firsts highlight women’s initial foray into national political office.

Fast Facts First woman elected to the House of Representatives Jeannette Rankin of Montana was elected to the House of Representatives in 1916 and sworn into Congress in 1917. First woman to serve in the Senate Rebecca Felton of Georgia was appointed to the Senate in 1922. First woman elected to the Senate Hattie Caraway of Arkansas was elected to the Senate in 1931. First Asian-American woman elected to Congress Patsy Mink of Hawaii was elected to the House of Representatives in 1964. First African-American woman elected to Congress Shirley Chisholm of New York was elected to the House of Representatives in 1968. First Hispanic woman elected to Congress Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida was elected to the House of Representatives in 1989. First woman to preside over the House of the Representatives Alice Robertson of Oklahoma was the first woman to preside over the House Chamber in 1922. First woman to preside over the Senate Hattie Caraway of Arkansas was the first woman to preside over the Senate Chamber in 1943.

First woman to chair a committee in the House of Representatives Mae Ella Nolan of California was the first woman to chair a House committee in 1923. First woman to chair a committee in the Senate Hattie Caraway of Arkansas was the first woman to chair a Senate committee in 1933. First woman elected to party leadership in Congress Chase Going Woodhouse of Connecticut was the first woman to be elected to a party leadership position in 1949. First woman Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi of California was the first woman elected Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2007. Most committees chaired by a woman Member of Congress Mary Norton holds the distinction of the most committees chaired by a woman (four). Longest congressional tenure for a woman Member of Congress On March 17, 2012, Barbara Mikulski of Maryland became the longest serving woman in the history of Congress. First elected to the House in 1976, she won election to the Senate a decade later in 1986. Longest congressional tenure for a woman House Member Edith Nourse Rogers of Massachusetts has the longest congressional tenure of any woman House Member—35 years.

State with the most women Members of Congress Historically, California has had the most women Members in Congress. Teaching Tips Have students use Women in Congress to create a timeline of important dates in the history of women who have served in Congress. Ask students to write a hypothetical diary or journal entry from Jeannette Rankin shortly after her first election to Congress in 1916. Have students use Representative Rankin’s profile in Women in Congress for background research. Compose a list of topics with students that could be included in the entry (potential benefits and drawbacks of being the first and only woman in Congress.) Then have students write another journal entry from Representative Rankin after she was elected to a second term in the House in which they compare and contrast the two experiences. Begin a class discussion with Representative Mary Norton’s quote, “I’m no lady; I’m a Member of Congress.” Ask students to think about the meaning of the quote, the possible context, and how the statement may have been related to the experience of the early women who served in Congress. Have students use Women in Congress to research the lives of the women pioneers who served in Congress.

Office of the Historian: history@mail.house.gov Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk: art@mail.house.gov , archives@mail.house.gov Women's Milestones in U.S. Government Women's Milestones in U.S. Government A Time Line of Women in Government In 1987, Congress named the month of March, National Women's History Month. This month we feature a celebration of Women's History in the United States. The timeline that follows includes memorable firsts for women in their quest to become part of the United States Government. 1766 - Mary Katherine Goddard and her widowed mother become publishers of the Providence Gazette newspaper and the annual West's Almanack, making her the first woman publisher in America. In 1775, Goddard became the first woman postmaster in the country (in Baltimore), and in 1777 she became the first printer to offer copies of the Declaration of Independence that included the signers' names. In 1789 Goddard opened a Baltimore bookstore, probably the first woman in America to do so. 1809 - Mary Kies becomes the first woman to receive a patent, for a method of weaving straw with silk.

1869 - Arabella Mansfield is granted admission to practice law in Iowa, making her the first woman lawyer. 1872 - Victoria Claflin Woodhull becomes the first woman presidential candidate in the United States when she is nominated by the National Radical Reformers. 1879 - Belva Ann Lockwood becomes the first woman admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. 1885 - Sarah E. Goode becomes the first African-American woman to receive a patent, for a bed that folded up into a cabinet. Goode, who owned a furniture store in Chicago, intended the bed to be used in apartments. 1887 - Susanna Medora Salter becomes the first woman elected mayor of an American town, in Argonia, Kansas. 1916 - Jeannette Rankin, of Montana, is the first woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. 1922 - Rebecca Felton, of Georgia, is appointed to the U.S. Senate to fill a temporary vacancy. The first woman senator, she serves for only two days.

1925 - Nellie Tayloe Ross becomes the first woman to serve as governor of a state, in Wyoming. In the fall of 1924 she was elected to succeed her deceased husband, William Bradford Ross. (Miriam Amanda "Ma" Ferguson is inaugurated governor of Texas days later.) 1932 - Hattie Wyatt Caraway, of Arkansas, becomes the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate. 1933 - Frances Perkins is appointed secretary of labor by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, making her the first woman member of a presidential cabinet. 1953 - Jerrie Cobb is the first woman in the U.S. to undergo astronaut testing. NASA, however, cancels the women's program in 1963. It is not until 1983 that an American woman gets sent into space. 1960 - Oveta Culp Hobby becomes the first woman to serve as Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. She is also the first director of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), and the first woman to receive the U.S. Army Distinguished Service Medal.

1964 - Margaret Chase Smith, of Maine, becomes the first woman nominated for president of the United States by a major political party, at the Republican National Convention in San Francisco. 1965 - Patsy Takemoto Mink, of Hawaii, is the first Asian-American woman elected to Congress. She served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 24 years. 1969 - Shirley Chisholm, of New York, becomes the first African-American woman in Congress and the first female black U.S. Representative. Her motto is, "Unbought and unbossed." She served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 14 years. 1972 - Juanita Kreps becomes the first woman director of the New York Stock Exchange. She later becomes the first woman appointed Secretary of Commerce. 1981 - Sandra Day O'Connor is appointed by President Reagan to the Supreme Court, making her its first woman justice. 1983 - Dr. Sally K. Ride becomes the first American woman to be sent into space. 1989 - Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, of Florida, becomes the first Hispanic woman elected to congress.

She serves in the U.S. House of Representatives. 1990 - Dr. Antonia Novello is sworn in as U.S. Surgeon General, becoming the first woman (and first Hispanic) to hold that job. 1991 - On January 2, Sharon Pratt Dixon is sworn in as mayor of Washington, DC, becoming the first black woman to serve as mayor of a major city. 1992 - Carol Moseley-Braun, of Illinois, becomes the first African-American woman elected to the U.S. Senate. Mae Jemison becomes the first black female astronaut. 1993 - Shiela Widnall becomes the first secretary of a branch of the U.S. military when she is appointed to head the Air Force. Janet Reno becomes the first woman U.S. attorney general. 1997 - Madeleine Albright is sworn in as U.S. secretary of state. She is the first woman in this position as well as the highest-ranking woman in the United States government. 2005 - Condoleezza Rice becomes the first African-American female Secretary of State.

2007 - Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) becomes the first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives. 2008 - Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, becomes the first woman to run for vice president on the Republican ticket. 2016 - On July 26, 2016, on the second day of the Democratic National Convention, Hillary Rodham Clinton makes history when she secures the president nomination, becoming the first U.S. woman to lead the ticket of a major party. Commentary The National Women's History Project The website contains the history on this annual celebration, promotional materials, and events that related to this year's theme. American Women is a website maintained by the Library of Congress. This gateway is dedicated to resources that pertain to American Women and their history. The Library of Congress is a repository for manuscripts, images, documents, diaries, letters, and campaign materials that relate to Women's History. From the National Archives, Women is a research resource and a bibliography for all items related to Women's History. The website contains links to image databases, biographies, bibliographies, and more. National Park Service & Women's History Month is a online exhibit from the National Parks Service.

The volume focuses on women is the past, present, and the future. By placing women in the past first, this series of articles seeks to show women's capabilities to change America. Sponsored by the United Nations Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality, Women Watch is a comprehensive resource on the status of women in United Nations countries today. The Women at NASA provides information about females and their careers within NASA. Links to information about the space programs, events, and new stories are also available. Statistics Census Statistics relating to Women are available by subject matter. Statistics include population profiles, educational attainment, business and industry, and other demographics. The Department of Labor supports the The Women's Bureau . This agency collects statistics relating to women and their jobs. Quick statistics as well as in-depth searchable information is available. National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) collects statistical information on women, minorities, and people with disabilities in the sciences and engineering. Undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate information can be searched as well as some employment statistics specifically relating to NSF fields. The Center for Disease Control's National Center for Health Statistics Fast Stats (NCHS) provides health related information and statistics particularly relating to women.

The NCHS also supplies citizens with general health statistics and information. The Bureau of Justice Statistics , maintained by the Department of Justice, provides statistical information about offenders, crime rates, types of crime, and the justice system. Included is information specifically focused on women. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has organized the womenshealth.gov which provides statistical information about women's health and women's health issues. FedStats is a statistical resource maintained by the U.S. Government. Information from over 70 government agencies has been compiled and is now accessible in one website. Related Sources The Statistical Abstract of the United States was published by the U.S. Census. It provides general statistical information on the national and state levels, including some information specific to women. The Online Women's Business Center has been provided by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Information for women about starting and maintaining a small business is available along with information about business opportunities. Center for Women Veterans is a website maintained by the Department of Veterans Affairs. It provides information on programs, health care, advisory committees, and VA benefits. Contact Us Government Information Services, Access and Collections 450-F Main Library The Nineteenth Amendment: Woman Suffrage | U.S.

Capitol Visitor Center U.S. Capitol Visitor Center Home The Nineteenth Amendment: Woman Suffrage The Nineteenth Amendment: Woman Suffrage In 1916 Representative Jeannette Rankin of Montana, a suffragist and pacifist, became the first woman elected to Congress. As a member of the House, Rankin pushed for woman suffrage, opening the first congressional debate ever held on the subject. Congress approved a constitutional amendment for woman suffrage in 1919. Ratified by three-fourths of the states, it became the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920. Rankin is also noted as the only member of Congress to have opposed U.S. participation in both World War I and World War II. Is it not possible that the women of the country have something of value to give the Nation at this time? It would be strange indeed if the women of this country through all these years had not developed an intelligence, a feeling, a spiritual force peculiar to themselves, which they hold in readiness to give to the world. Representative Jeannette Rankin of Montana, Speech to the U.S.

House of Representatives, January 10, 1918 Female firsts in politics Female firsts in politics By Deena Zaru , CNN Updated 6:13 AM ET, Wed July 27, 2016 Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds. Photos: Female firsts in politics Hillary Clinton, a former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state, claims her place in history on Tuesday, July 27, after becoming the Democratic Party's nominee for U.S. President. She would be the first woman in U.S. history to lead the ticket of a major political party. Hide Caption 1 of 16 Photos: Female firsts in politics Elizabeth Cady Stanton was the first woman to run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. She was a leader of the suffragette movement along with Lucretia Mott and Susan B. Anthony. She was also the editor of the feminist magazine "Revolution." Hide Caption 2 of 16 Photos: Female firsts in politics In 1916, Jeannette Rankin was the first woman to be elected to the U.S.

House of Representatives. The Republican from Montana was the only member of Congress to vote against U.S. entry in both World War I and World War II. Hide Caption 3 of 16 Photos: Female firsts in politics Feminist reformer Victoria Claflin Woodhull was the first woman to run for U.S. President from a nationally recognized ticket. She was the candidate of the Equal Rights Party in 1872. Hide Caption 4 of 16 Photos: Female firsts in politics Frances Perkins was the first woman to serve as a member of the President's Cabinet. She was appointed labor secretary by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. Hide Caption 5 of 16 Photos: Female firsts in politics Shirley Chisholm, a Democrat from New York, was the first African-American woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. She was elected in 1968. Hide Caption 6 of 16 Photos: Female firsts in politics Sandra Day O'Connor was the first woman to be appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court. She was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981.

Hide Caption 7 of 16 Photos: Female firsts in politics In 1984, Geraldine Ferraro became the first woman to run on a major party's national ticket. She was Walter Mondale's running mate. Hide Caption 8 of 16 Photos: Female firsts in politics U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican from Florida, was elected in 1989. She is the first Hispanic woman and Cuban-American to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Hide Caption 9 of 16 Photos: Female firsts in politics Carol Moseley Braun, a Democrat from Illinois, was the first African-American woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate. She served from 1993 to 1999. Hide Caption 10 of 16 Photos: Female firsts in politics Dee Dee Myers was the first woman to serve as White House press secretary. She was appointed by President Bill Clinton and held the position from January 1993 to December 1994. Hide Caption 11 of 16 Photos: Female firsts in politics Madeleine Albright was the first woman to serve as U.S.

secretary of state. She was appointed to the position by President Bill Clinton in 1997. Hide Caption 12 of 16 Photos: Female firsts in politics U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Wisconsin, is the first openly gay woman to be elected to Congress. She was elected to the House in 1999 and to the Senate in 2012. Hide Caption 13 of 16 Photos: Female firsts in politics House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, is the first woman to lead a party in Congress. Hide Caption 14 of 16 Photos: Female firsts in politics Sonia Sotomayor is the first Hispanic woman to serve on the Supreme Court. She was nominated by President Barack Obama in 2009. Hide Caption First elected female senator - Jan 12, 1932 - HISTORY.com First elected female senator Publisher A+E Networks Ophelia Wyatt Caraway, a Democrat from Arkansas, becomes the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate.

Caraway, born near Bakerville, Tennessee, had been appointed to the Senate two months earlier to fill the vacancy left by her late husband, Thaddeus Horatio Caraway. With the support of Huey Long, a powerful senator from Louisiana, Caraway was elected to the seat. In 1938, she was reelected. After failing to win renomination in 1944, she was appointed to the Federal Employees Compensation Commission by President Franklin Roosevelt. Although she was the first freely elected female senator, Caraway was preceded in the Senate by Rebecca Latimer Felton, who was appointed in 1922 to fill a vacancy but never ran for election. Jeannette Rankin, elected to the House of Representatives as a pacifist from Montana in 1917, was the first woman to ever sit in Congress. Related Videos

Question: Who, in 1916, was the first woman to be elected to the US House of Representatives, the first female member of the Congress, and the only woman to be elected to Congress from Montana?
Answer: Jeannette Rankin