A brief history of women in politics
- There have been 35 women in the U.S. Senate since the establishment of that body in 1789.
- In 1917 Jeanette Rankin, a Republican from Montana, became the first woman in Congress upon being elected to the House.
- In the early days following the legalization of national women’s suffrage, most women elected to Congress were chosen as replacements for deceased husbands, called "widow’s succession."
- Women were granted the right to vote on Aug. 26, 1920.
- The first woman in the Senate was Rebecca Latimer Felton, who served for one day in 1922.
- Hattie Caraway became the first woman to win election to the Senate in 1930.
- In 1984, Geraldine Ferraro became the first woman to run on a major party’s national ticket. She was Walter Mondale’s vice presidential selection.
- The senatorial representation of three states (California, Washington and Maine) is entirely female.
- In the Senate, there are 16 women, the highest number in history – Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., Maria Cantwell, D-Wash; Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.; Susan Collins, R-Maine; Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C.; Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.; Kay Bailey Hutchinson, R-Texas; Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; Mary Landrieu, D-La; Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark; Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., Barbara Mikulski, D-Md.; Lisa Murkowski, R-Ark.; Patty Murray, D-Wash; Olympia Snowe, R-Maine; Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.
The Patriot Ledger
