Women in the U.S. Congress

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The First Woman in Congress
At age 37, Jeanette Rankin, of Missoula, Montana won election to the US House of Representatives from Montana. A notable accomplishment made even more amazing by the facts that Ms. Rankin was the first woman elected to the US Congress, and that the year was1917 -- three years before women were guaranteed the Constitutional right to vote. Despite the fact that Montana had granted the vote to women in 1914, wide-spread opposition to the women's suffrage movement remained. In this political atmosphere, Rankin's election to the US Congress represented a major step in the confounding struggle of American women to win what amounted to full American citizenship.

Women in the 107th Congress
A record number of women serve in the U.S. Congress. Currently, 13 women (10 Democrats and 3 Republicans) serve in the U.S. Senate, while 61 women (43 Democrats and 18 Republicans) hold seats in the House of Representatives. Four of the Senators and seven Representatives are serving their first terms in Congress.

The 13 women now in the Senate are: Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Jean Carnahan (D-MO), Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), Susan Collins (R-ME), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Patty Murray (D-WA), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI).

The Women In House Web Site
Since Jeanette Rankin, over 170 women have been elected to the House of Representatives where they are now honored by the Women in Congress Web site. Compiled by the Clerk of the House, the site provides pictures, and biographies (brief and complete) of all former and current women elected to the House. Members can be located Alphabetically, Chronologically (by date of election), and by State. Among the biographies, you will find well known Congresswomen such as Magaret Chase Smith, Clare Boothe Luce, Bella Abzug, and Barbara Jordan.

For additional research into the Women's rights movement, you find handy links to the National Archives and Records Agency and collections from the Library of Congress.