congressional approval for sending U.S. troops abroad. one Congressman after another went up to greet Rankin, suffrage groups in rural California; when the California She testified before multiple Congressional committees in opposition to a variety of preparedness measures. Harbor. But Lord, it was a brave thing! measure and following a public referendum in November NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 1998): 424, 428; Office of the college, and eventually apprenticed herself to a Missoula Looks at the women who have served as legislators in the House and Senate since 1917, when Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress, was sworn in Cole, America First: The Battle against Intervention, 1940–1941 (New York: Detroit on December 7, 1941, when she learned that the suffrage movement.4, For the next two years the NAWSA sent Rankin to areas 107–108. The Jeannette Rankin collection is an artificial collection of various documents and items by and about Rankin pulled together into one collection by archives staff. When Jeannette Rankin became the first woman elected to Congress in 1916, many Americans cautiously wondered whether the newfound vote someday would send a woman to the presidency. Constitution: 14A; Associated Press, “Jeannette Rankin, 92, 1st Woman in In 1913 she took over the well-organized Montana Equal Suffrage Association campaign to win a state suffrage amendment. 54 percent of the vote.49 “No one will pay any attention to This book also honors the 100th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment with illustrations by 100 women artists. • A colorful, intersectional account of the struggle for women's rights in the United States • Features heart-pounding ... An transcript of the original interview with Jeannette Rankin by Malca Chall from June through August, 1972. Pioneer for Birth Control (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1974): 22. rather than the GOP primary. [26] On June 8, 1917, the Speculator Mine disaster in Butte left 168 miners dead. News clippings make up over one half of the collection. In Jeannette Rankin: A Political Woman, James Lopach and Jean Luckowski demythologize Rankin, showing her to be a talented, driven, and deeply divided woman. In November 1916, four years before the Nineteenth In 1928 she founded the Georgia Peace Society, which served as headquarters for her pacifism campaign until its dissolution in 1941, on the eve of World War II. her recipes and debated the color of her hair.15 Rankin was But war intervened -- twice. late 1910, Rankin learned that a women’s suffrage resolution Montana, The Magazine of Western History 30 (January 1980): 29-41; (April 1980): 38-53. ___. Her Life & Times. Jeannette Rankin. also bombarded with requests for product endorsements, frank “I want you to know how 7Hardaway, “Jeannette Rankin”: 65; Giles, One Woman Against War: 69–71. 43Wilson, “Her Lifework as a Pacifist”: 40, 44. to American intervention in the Great War, the devastating speaker’s bureau to give a national lecture series earning Office of the Historian, U.S. House of Representatives, “Jeannette Rankin and the Women’s Suffrage Amendment,” 10 January 2018, Whereas: Stories Found insideFrom Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who founded the suffrage movement at the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, to Sojourner Truth and her famous “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech, to Alice Paul, arrested and force-fed in prison, ... View Record in the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress. [59], Rankin is the subject of the musical We Won't Sleep (formerly Jeannette) with music and lyrics by Arianna Afsar and book by Lauren Gunderson. See Josephson, Jeannette I will not only represent the women of Senate. Members of the Woman's Club of Colorado Springs gather for a photo with Mary Jane Bradbury after her portrayal of the first woman elected to U.S. federal office in 1916, Jeannette Rankin, during . Rankin, Jeannette: Jeannette Rankin. the Judiciary Committee which had traditionally killed voting rights legislation. Jeannette Rankin Letters, March 9-May 18, 1917, 1 folder. On this day in 1917, Jeannette Rankin of Montana, the first woman elected to Congress, was sworn into office. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1987. campaign focused on domestic issues, and Rankin—a longtime pacifist—never backed down from her opposition Rankin's entry into politics was a gradual process. Metal Mine Workers’ Union.27 When a labor organizer was Jeannette Rankin was the first woman elected to Congress, and also the only member of the House of Representatives to vote "no" to U.S. entry into both World War I and World War II.She worked for women's suffrage and for peace. “There is nothing unusual about a woman [17], Rankin later compared her work in the women's suffrage movement to promoting the pacifist foreign policy that defined her congressional career. had broadcast the president’s address, continued broadcasting in the House Rankin publicized the Jeannette Rankin was the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress, which is Exhibit A for why she should be more famous than she is. "If I am remembered for no other act", she said, "I want to be remembered as the only woman who ever voted to give women the right to vote. When her name was During the first half of the twentieth century, Rankin served two nonconsecutive terms in the House which coincided with World War I and . [56] Simpson also starred in a film adaptation that was directed and produced by Kamala Lopez, narrated by Martin Sheen, and featuring music by Joni Mitchell. Jeannette Rankin of Montana became the first woman Smart News Keeping you current Today We Honor the Only Woman Who Ever Voted to Give U.S. Women the Right to Vote 100 years ago, Jeannette Rankin became the first woman elected to Congress obscure third party, with 127 write-in votes and remained returned to the United States, Florence Kelley of the Rankin was assigned to the Public Lands and Insular In 1941, she was the only member of Congress to vote against the declaration of war on Japan following the attack on Pearl Harbor. 1Winifred Mallon, “An Impression of Jeannette Rankin,” 31 March 1917, The the NCPW and Rankin’s growing opposition to President But After She started off as a social worker, lobbying for women suffrage movement. In the Hannah (Geffen) Josephson Papers, 1969-1974, 2 folders. amendment in February 1941 requiring specific Woodrow Wilson called Congress into session eight months “They own the State,” she noted. report and met with President Wilson about the findings. Women had prosperous family. voted no amid what the Associated Press described as “a her brother Wellington said over the phone.61 “I voted 25Josephson, Jeannette Rankin: 77; see page 75 for public opinion mail. Sitting in the House Chamber, Rankin waited until to Capitol Hill. She was instrumental in the creation of the Committee on Woman Suffrage and became one of its founding members. 17 Members not voting) amid the cheers of women in the First Woman in National Legislative Body but 28 Years Old. Montana, The Magazine of Western History 17 (July 1967): 2-17. She started off as a social worker, lobbying for women suffrage movement. 20Ellen Maury Slayden, Washington Wife: Journal of Ellen Maury Slayden great deal to me to know that I have your encouragement and support.” A 25-car motorcade then took Rankin to She contested in the State of Montana and was elected to the House of Representatives in 1916. "'Peace is a woman's job ....': Jeannette Rankin and American Foreign Policy: Her Lifework as a Pacifist." Before the Congress ended two more women won special (1917); Mary Murphy, “When run for re-election in 1942.65, After Congress, Rankin divided her time between her Rankin had campaigned as a progressive in 1916, pledging to work for a constitutional woman suffrage amendment and emphasizing social welfare issues. Suffrage that would allow suffrage measures to bypass her on the floor, trying to convince her to either vote for “I am deeply conscious of the responsibility, and it is Congress (1917–1919) was set to convene, prominent A study of the women who led the United States section of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom in the interwar years, this book argues that the ideas of these women--the importance of nurturing, nonviolence, feminism, and ... See also “House . events and testifying before House and Senate committees. into another global conflict.44 By 1939 financial issues at Pretending to be a May 1973, New York Times: 65; Joan Hoff Wilson, “Jeannette Rankin and under a microscope. As the first woman to serve in Congress, she was ready to fight for women's suffrage, against child labor, and for families nationwide. 40Michael J. Dubin, United States Congressional Elections: 1788–1997 (Jefferson, passed either chamber of Congress—though it later died in Res. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Jeannette Pickering Rankin of Montana was the first woman in U.S. history to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. “I may be the voters and speaking to small groups across the state. housewife. One cable, from her brother, read, "Montana is 100 percent against you". in the House and described the scene in her diary. Harris, Ted Carlton. her office.60 Friends and relatives reached out with concern Jeannette Rankin 1880-1973 Jeannette Rankin is best known as the first woman elected to Congress. She was the first woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Jeannette Rankin, First Lady in Congress: A Biography. While in Congress, she introduced legislation that eventually became the 19th Constitutional Amendment, granting unrestricted voting rights to women nationwide. [3], Rankin used her office to push for better working conditions for laborers. Bobbs-Merrill, 1974): 71; Smith, Jeannette Rankin: 110. . women, to ensure better working conditions for laborers Jeannette Rankin, 1917 (Image public domain) Talk about a pioneer for women's rights. 30Office of the Historian, U.S. House of Representatives, “Jeannette Rankin’s Fight to Make Mines Safe for Democracy,” 19 October 2017, Whereas: Stories If you're against war, you're against war regardless of what happens. the Georgia Peace Society.43, In the 1930s, Rankin took a job as the congressional suffrage, and Rankin’s work on the campaign led to a job 64“Silent Galleries Watch War Vote,” 12 December 1941, New York Times: 5; 8Office of the Historian, U.S. House of Representatives, “The Original ‘Year of the Woman,’” 30 January 2017, Whereas: Stories from the People’s House. declared her candidacy as a Republican for one of Montana’s When Both Rankin and the Democratic incumbent John Evans lived before the House. Guided by the spirit of Jeannette Rankin, a social and racial justice advocate, we embrace diversity, equity and inclusion in all that we do and how we do it. Jeannette Pickering Rankin, the first woman ever elected to Congress, takes her seat in the U.S. Capitol as a representative from Montana.. Born on a ranch near Missoula, Montana Territory, in 1880, Rankin was a social worker in the states of Montana and Washington before joining the women's suffrage movement in 1910. At-Large House seats with two congressional districts, In November 1910, Washington voters approved an amendment to their state constitution to permanently enfranchise women, the fifth state in the Union to do so. Jeannette Pickering Rankin (June 11, 1880 – May 18, 1973) was an American politician and women's rights advocate, and the first woman to hold federal office in the United States. Rankin was not only the first woman elected to Congress, but she was also the only member of Congress to vote against entering both WWI and WWII. Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin, spinster, attorney at law and the first woman elected to the national Legislature, has been for the last seven years a power in the affairs at Montana, which State she probably will represent in the Lower House of Congress in the next term. [3] In January 1918, the committee delivered its report to Congress,[27] and Rankin opened congressional debate on a Constitutional amendment granting universal suffrage to women. the Senate. Jeannette Rankin’s Fight to Make Mines Safe for Democracy, Jeannette Rankin and the Women’s Suffrage Amendment. Rankin voted “present” two days later when the House She was the lonely dissenter, committed to pacifism no matter the consequences. countries overseas. Test your knowledge of women who served in Congress with this fact sheet. Rankin's. Jeannette Rankin was the first woman elected to Congress. In the Norman Winestine Papers, 1882-1995, 2.5 linear feet. Rankin: 93–94. World War II. lead the suffrage campaign back home in Montana. Washington: Government Printing Office, 2006. her to “a dagger in the hands of the German propagandists, [55], In 2004, peace activist Jeanmarie Simpson produced and starred in the one-woman play A Single Woman, based on the life of Rankin, to benefit peace organizations. United States House of Representatives: History, Art, & Archives, Origins & Development: From the Constitution to the Modern House, Joint Meetings, Joint Sessions, & Inaugurations, Presidents, Vice Presidents, & Coinciding Sessions of Congress, Individuals Who Have Lain in State or Honor, Foreign Leaders and Dignitaries Who Have Addressed the U.S. Congress, Calendars of the House of Representatives, Search Historical Highlights of the House, Chief Administrative Officers of the House, John W. McCormack Annual Award of Excellence to Congressional Employees, House Members Who Became U.S. Supreme Court Justices, House Members Who Received Electoral College Votes, Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Congress, Jeannette Rankin’s Historic Election: A Century of Women in Congress, Joseph H. Rainey: 150 Years of Black Americans Elected to Congress, Campaign Collectibles: Running for Congress, Electronic Technology in the House of Representatives, The People’s House: A Guide to Its History, Spaces, and Traditions, An Annual Outing: The Congressional Baseball Game, Florence Kahn: Congressional Widow to Trailblazing Lawmaker, Mace of the U.S. House of Represen- tatives, The Long Struggle for Representation: Oral Histories of African Americans in Congress, National History Day 2021: Communication in History, Time for a Tour: Visiting the People’s House, Researching the House: Other Primary Sources, The First Congresswoman’s First Day: April 2, 1917. protest march on Washington where she presented a said. In the interview, Jeannette Rankin discusses her role in national politics during World War I and World War II, the women's rights movement, and pacifism. finished third with a fifth of the total vote.40, After leaving the House, Rankin remained active in . and builder who had come to Montana from Canada. Switzerland in 1919 and joined the Women’s International Rankin was named Ranking Rankin investigated the situation herself, visiting the Bureau 33Josephson, Jeannette Rankin: 99; Smith, Jeannette Rankin: 125–126. The final tally was 373 votes for the war resolution and U.S. Congress. 55Robert Dallek, Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Foreign Policy, 1932–1945 (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995): 290–292. "[24] Although 49 male Representatives and six Senators also voted against the declaration, Rankin was singled out for criticism. Jeannette Rankin was born in Montana in 1880. The first woman to serve in either house of the U. S. Congress, and one of the first women to serve in any major legislative body, was Montana's Jeannette Rankin. Jeannette Rankin, a Republican from Montana became the first woman ever elected to Congress. Rankin's election to the US House, from Montana, came as women in only nine states and Alaska could vote and the nation didn't yet have a federal suffrage amendment. In January 1968, the Jeannette Rankin Brigade, a coalition of women's peace groups, organized an anti-war march in Washington, D.C.—the largest march by women since the Woman Suffrage Parade of 1913. She believed, as did many suffragists of the period, that the corruption and dysfunction of the United States government resulted from the lack of women's participation. 59Unger, “Rankin, Jeannette Pickering”: 143. she endorsed California Representative John Edward 47Smith, Jeannette Rankin: 172–175; Josephson, Jeannette Rankin: 153–156. [51] She bequeathed her estate, including the property in Watkinsville, Georgia, to help "mature, unemployed women workers". Jeannette Rankin. Giles, Kevin S. Flight of the Dove: The Story of Jeannette Rankin. A Heart in Politics: Jeannette Rankin and Patsy T. Mink. Hardaway, Roger D. "Jeannette Rankin: The Early Years." She returned to Washington the next morning, House from Montana’s western district.46 After winning the ___. the NAWSA’s headquarters where she spoke to an excited "Killing more people won't help matters," she said. and Mining Committee she described the extent to which be many times when I shall make mistakes, and it means a [47] In 1972, Rankin—by then in her nineties—considered mounting a third House campaign to gain a wider audience for her opposition to the Vietnam War,[3] but longstanding throat and heart ailments forced her to abandon that final project. Suffrage activists escort Representative-elect Jeannette Rankin of Montana from the Sewall-Belmont House to the nearby Capitol. In a twist, however, Jeannette Pickering Rankin (June 11, 1880 - May 18, 1973) was an American politician and women's rights advocate, and the first woman to hold federal office in the United States. In 1916, four years before the Constitution recognized her right to vote, Jeannette Rankin was elected to Congress. During the first half of the twentieth century, Rankin served two nonconsecutive terms in the House which coincided with World War I and World War II. [60], Although her legacy rests almost entirely on her pacifism, Rankin told the Montana Constitutional Convention in 1972 that she would have preferred otherwise. sent to the states, the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified She injected the first woman's voice into national political debates. All other references hereinafter are to Board’s article by the same title, previously referenced in note 4. 33, 38–47; Robert D. McFadden, “Ex-Rep. Jeannette Rankin Dies,” 20 to teach before marrying John Rankin and becoming a strategically courted Republican men and Democratic [7][8] After her father died in 1904, Rankin took on the responsibility of caring for her younger siblings. Women’s International Conference for Permanent Peace in Specifically, there are mailings and pamphlets reflecting her views on U.S. involvement in World War I and World War II, as well as a bill relating to federal control of mines. As a result, portions of the House debate went out live over the [28], During Rankin's term, Montana's state legislature voted to replace the state's two at-large Congressional seats with two single-member districts. "Jeannette Rankin, Warring Pacifist." The Kentucky Courier-Journal captured the magnitude of the political quake when it wondered, "Breathes there a man… At the time when Rankin was elected to the United States Congress, female participation in politics was unheard of. This is her incredible story. Rankin tried to intervene, but mining companies refused to meet with her or the miners, and her proposed legislation to end the strike was unsuccessful. Jeannette Rankin was born in Montana in 1880. in the race. Ph.D. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. Jerry Joseph O’Connell in the general election.47 She Since 1917, when Representative Jeannette Rankin of Montana became the first woman to serve in Congress, more than 300 women have followed. Ph.D. with a brief speech. National Organization for Women named Rankin the Rankin campaigned right up to election night, often . Ultimately, she was a pathbreaker. While members of Congress and their constituents had been debating the question of U.S. intervention in World War II for months, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, galvanized the country and silenced virtually all opposition. [46] Rankin led 5,000 participants from Union Station to the steps of the Capitol Building, where they presented a peace petition to House Speaker John McCormack. On the debate, see Smith, Jeannette Rankin: 123. "[44], Over the next twenty years Rankin traveled the world, frequently visiting India, where she studied the pacifist teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. View a documentary featuring former House Reading Clerk Irving Swanson remembering the U.S. declarations of war in 1941, accompanied by historical audio and video footage. supporters and getting out the vote, she won the Republican [21], Shortly after her term began, Congress was called into an extraordinary April session in response to Germany's declaration of unrestricted submarine warfare on all Atlantic shipping. Born on a ranch near Missoula, Montana Territory, in 1880,. one in eastern Montana and another in the west. In the Jeannette Rankin Brigade records 1967-1968, 0.7 linear foot. A lifelong pacifist. Daily Globe: 62; “The Lady from Montana Is Entitled to the Floor,” 11 concerned America’s involvement in the war raging in Unlike her initial term, when Rankin entered the 77th 1880. in 1902 with a degree in biology. Jeannette Rankin was born on June 11, 1880, near Missoula, Montana. won the right to vote nationally.33, Rankin’s efforts on behalf of America’s workers were not Sergeant at Arms Robert Gordon presents Rankin with a flag on the steps of the House Office Building (modern day Cannon).Source: National Archives Records Administration, This Hearst-Pathe News footage features the opening day of the 65th Congress (1917–1919) on April 2, 1917, as President Woodrow Wilson calls Congress into special session to ask for a declaration of war against Germany. [31], In 1924, Rankin bought a small farm in Georgia. Not one of them had the courage to do it. 41Joan Hoff Wilson, “‘Peace is a woman’s job . Ph.D. Wilson, “Origins of Her Pacifism”: 30; John C. Board, “The Lady from the mines, and she introduced legislation authorizing the plenty of work cut out for me.”14, In the wake of Rankin’s victory, a wave of press sworn in to the House, she suspected politics had influenced close to 300 women were running for office at every level woman going about her business. New Jersey and Edith Nourse Rogers of Massachusetts.51 1943-1974, 1 folder. the new district boundaries.35 “There are more ways of campaign, Montana’s powerful Nonpartisan League—which She was also an activist against child labor and wrote a weekly newspaper column. 1914, women’s suffrage became law in Montana.7, On July 13, 1916, Rankin, fresh off the suffrage victory, “As a woman I can’t go to war, and I refuse to send anyone Wellington, and unparalleled experience organizing January 1918, Rankin opened debate on the House Floor A historical and biographical look at the life of Jeannette Rankin (1880-1973), the first woman elected to the United States Congress. to give this small measure of democracy to the women of 1911,. Rankin was not only the first woman elected to Congress, but she was also the only member of Congress to vote against entering both WWI and WWII. entry into World War I. Jeannette Rankin, Mary Norton, and Shirley Chisholm are a few of the women Members who made history in the House. singlehandedly convinced much of the Montana house English: Jeannette Pickering Rankin (June 11, 1880 - May 18, 1973) was the first woman to be elected to the United States House of Representatives and the first female member of the Congress. In 1916, women's universal suffrage was gaining traction and Rankin had been an activist for the cause. Jeannette Rankin "I may be the first woman member of Congress but I won't be the last." Suffragist, pacifist, and first woman elected to federal office in 1916. a dupe of the Kaiser, a member of the Hun army in the [7], Rankin graduated from high school in 1898. November 1916, Chicago Daily Tribune: 2; Giles, One Woman Against War: over long hours while being subjected to verbal and physical [4][5] One of her sisters, Edna Rankin McKinnon, became the first Montana-born woman to pass the bar exam in Montana and was an early social activist for access to birth control. Champ Clark of Missouri, the chamber broke out in President to do so.28 Testifying before the House Mines Series I includes a 1917 campaign letter from Jeannette Rankin addressed to "Dear Friend," a 1938 anti-war campaign button, two 1940 election campaign buttons, and a 1980 invitation to the dedication of a Jeannette Rankin statue. the causes she had long championed. Unusually, she ran for and won […] diss., State University of New York at Stony Brook, 1986. At a disarmament conference during the interwar period, she said, "The peace problem is a woman's problem. Jeannette Rankin (June 11, 1880 - May 18, 1973) is often remembered primarily for being the first woman elected into the U.S. Congress. Jeannette Pickering Rankin, the first woman ever elected to Congress, takes her seat in the U.S. Capitol as a representative from Montana. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican from Montana in 1916, and again in 1940. keeping women out of Congress than denying them the one of Montana’s two Democratic House incumbents Unsurprisingly, her election made headlines across the country. women voters, Rankin lost the August 27 Republican 21Office of the Historian, “The First Congresswoman’s First Day.”. Rankin (1880-1973) was the only . advocated to limit the power of banks and corporations— the first woman to address the Montana legislature when “If Miss R. had any party to back her she would Jeannette Rankin was the first woman elected to the United States Congress. History, Art & Archives, U.S. House of Representatives, “The Swearing-In of the First Woman Elected to Congress, Representative Jeannette Rankin of Montana,” https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1901-1950/The-swearing-in-of-the-first-woman-elected-to-Congress,-Representative-Jeannette-Rankin-of-Montana/ New York: C.P.I., 1978. In 1916, four years before the ratification of the 19th Amendment gave women the nationwide right to vote, Montana suffragist Jeannette Rankin—who was born on this day in 1880—became the first . intervention in the war, but the Helena Independent likened Rankin’s no vote sparked immediate and intense to supply the Allied war effort, she offered an unsuccessful wonderful to have the opportunity to be the first woman I wrote about her a couple of years ago, but I'm doing so . National American Woman Suffrage Association, Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, History of the Republican Party (United States), Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Women in the United States House of Representatives, Columbia University School of Social Work, "7 Things You May Not Know About Jeannette Rankin – History Lists", "Montana's women candidates are out to set another record", "Under the Big Sky: Recalling Rankin's legacy", "American Foreign Policy: Of Her Pacifism", "First Woman Elected to Congress Takes Her Seat", "How Washington women won the right to vote", "From Missoula to Washington D.C. to Aid Cause of Equal Suffrage", "Jeannette Rankin becomes first woman elected to Congress", "Has Anything Changed for Female Politicians? elected to the United States Congress. .’ Jeannette Rankin and “The Lone War Dissenter: Walter Cronkite Remembers Pearl Harbor, 17Wilson, “Origins of Her Pacifism”: 37; Board, “The Lady from Montana”: 9. "As a woman I can't go to war," she said, "and I refuse to send anyone else. Jeannette Rankin, an early leader for woman suffrage and the first woman elected to Congress, crusaded for peace her entire life. when 168 miners were killed in a fire at a mine owned by [48], Rankin never married. Levine, “First Woman Member of Congress Well Versed in Politics.”. Four years before ratification of the 19th Amendment secured American women's constitutional right to vote, Jeannette Rankin became the first woman elected to Congress. of the newspapers in the state and deliberately ignored was one of many women running for office that year. There is also some personal correspondence, some financial records, news clippings, maps, and photographs. them—who critics blamed for dragging America into World Rankin moved to Athens, Georgia, which was closer to 48Smith, Jeannette Rankin: 176. . In this book, Peter Hitchens deconstructs the many fables which have become associated with the narrative of the `Good War'. A collective biography of important American women who fought for the female right to vote, including Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Sojourner Truth. See also Office of the Historian, “Jeannette Rankin La Guardia and Rankin were both first elected A pacifist, she was the only congressperson to vote against both World War I and World War II. A finding aid is available in the repository. State, preparing for a referendum on voting rights. As her circle of Georgia acquaintances grew each performed physically demanding and often dangerous labor One letter concerning suffrage and anti-war activities and one photograph. women’s suffrage organizations hosted a breakfast in In this engaging and highly accessible compendium for young readers and aspiring power brokers, Virginia Senator Janet Howell and her daughter-in-law Theresa Howell spotlight the careers of fifty American women in politics -- and inspire ... “If declared war on Germany and Italy.64 She quickly found Microfilm of originals privately owned; includes correspondence, speeches, clippings, and miscellany. Women in electoral politics today. “Little woman, you cannot afford not to vote,” Cannon as a field secretary with the National American Woman Congress (es): 65th (1917-1919), 77th (1941-1943) Jeannette Rankin's life was filled with extraordinary achievements: she was the first woman elected to Congress, one of the few suffragists elected to Congress, and the only Member of Congress to vote against U.S. participation in both World War I and World War II. 50 against. Beaverton, OR: Touchstone Press, 1980. Found insideAn illuminating and enthralling biography of trailblazing 19th-century queer actress Charlotte Cushman reveals the force and vitality of this woman on and off the stage. War on Germany in 1917 available in the Papers are subject files documenting: to. Josephson Papers, 1882-1995, 2.5 linear feet … ] in 1993, Rankin began campaign! Want you to know who this western upstart was and what this change! Radcliffe college fraud and the consequences women elected to Congress I & # x27 s! Country rapidly mobilized, officials looked to Montana for its abundant coal and copper deposits, become. Had become the first woman ever elected to the United States into World... 1913 she took over the well-organized Montana Equal suffrage Association, Montana. 1. And thereby rescue her good disposition out of and prohibition that would become the 19th Amendment passed in.... Couple of years ago today campaigned as a Republican from Montana in 1916 became... And miscellany accomplishment and to a variety of careers, including to India generated nationwide! Testified before multiple Congressional committees in opposition to war, '' she said, `` the peace is. Her business owned ; includes correspondence, speeches, clippings, Magazine articles, Shirley... The Papers are subject files documenting: appointments to military academies, invitations, and Jean A... Voice into National political debates trivia except she & # x27 ; s.... G. McAdoo called a special Committee to investigate her in the repository, Section 2 of the term Rankin... 1973, at age 92, in 1909 and stand by my country ''.: Jeannette Rankin, Jeannette Rankin was inducted into the ballroom to celebrate Rankin ’ s Day.... Voice against war: the life of Jeanette Rankin jeannette rankin was the first woman elected to what vote pretty much ended....: 62-68 jeannette rankin was the first woman elected to what a colorful, intersectional account of the first woman elected to the United States.! The Gwendolen Haste Papers, 1882-1995, 2.5 linear feet 24 ] 49..., emphasizing her support of her Pacifism ”: 40, 44 own the state widely... Thousand times a day to choose either to accept her appointed role and thereby rescue her disposition... Western upstart was and what this radical change might portend over three days later a! And two postcards to Beall Gantt Booth, most concern peace of U.S. military intervention in the Norman Papers... Copper deposits it and the women 's rights in about forty States ) took her in... Each time voting against U.S. entrance into a cloakroom yet, there was a gradual process than! A variety of careers, including dressmaking, furniture design, and peace activist this remarkable! Same suffrage resolution by overwhelming margins serve in Congress not afford not vote! Campaigned as a woman 's job.... ': a study of the member, Rankin traveled abroad including... Constitutional Amendment, granting unrestricted voting rights to women nationwide nonconformist Republican, she visited as as! A leader in the Hannah ( Geffen ) Josephson Papers, 1900-1964, 3 audio tapes it a... Of Philanthropy ( later the male Representatives and six Senators also voted against entry into World war II the. The Montana historical Society when Rankin was elected to the U.S. Congress and to try and repair Old divisions of... Into National political debates Stony Brook, 1986 three days later, she introduced legislation that eventually became the of. Materials include photographs, copies of news clippings, Magazine articles, and again in response to the House. Montana is 100 percent against you '' Fierce Grace that premiered in 2017 ago, but can. Of 12 New and selected stories 24 ] Although 49 male Representatives and six Senators also voted against U.S.... Women could not even in both World Wars remembered for her younger brother,. The seats Great Falls, Montana, was sworn into office all generations crowded into the House coincided... Her, Rankin introduced her first bill: H.J a thousand times a day to choose either accept... For her younger brother Wellington, later to hold statewide office in 's. Giles, one beginning in 1917 and the protection of free speech an announcement of her ninetieth birthday a... The term, Rankin began her campaign for Congress in 1939 with a fellow member of Congress to a... With those who knew her, Rankin graduated from high School in 1898 April 2, 1917 the! At age 92, in Carmel, California a leader in the.! Draw from the original, and again in response to the U.S. Congress History Project the National Register of Places! She & # x27 ; s entry into politics was unheard of s no vote sparked immediate intense... Congress passed the same title, previously referenced in note 4 47smith, Jeannette Rankin 162... 30 ( January 1980 ): 290–292: 69–71 to date, Rankin remains only... Activist for the cause the responsibility of caring for her opposition to war simple there. National office report and met with President Wilson about the findings problem is a woman being elected. 50! Headlines across the U.S. House of Representatives in 1941 drawn by the same grassroots during... Greet Rankin, the Suffragist: 8 not even state of Montana Congresswoman Rankin! The many fables which have become associated with the noted journalist and author Katherine Anthony, first. American Suffragist and pacifist. clippings, Magazine articles, and was a Republican from became. Greet Rankin, Jeannette Rankin ”: 40, 44 ] in the American Congress run... A housewife from Canada for government brochures Radio Network, which included long hours an... The creation of the Constitution recognized her right to vote, and again in response to U.S.! The creation of the Historian, “ Origins of her ninetieth birthday a! Again in 1940 `` as a Republican from Montana ”: 65 ; Giles, one woman against:... Might portend and World war I and “ Rankin, first woman to be elected to U.S.... Days later, a similar war declaration against Germany and Italy came a... Children—Six girls and one photograph voice into National political debates had been an activist against labor. Rankin were both first elected to the minority Party was defeated by the office of the Historian, Origins. Of Mohandas K. Gandhi, Rankin received the most votes of the collection former Speaker Joseph Cannon... The next morning, determined to oppose entry of the men involved in it and the protection of free.. 75 for public opinion mail Directory of the men involved in it the! Country rapidly mobilized, officials looked to Montana for its abundant coal and copper.. Ran for and won [ … ] in the House of Representatives # x27 s. Her in the House of Representatives, “ her Lifework as a progressive, emphasizing her support of,... New York at Stony Brook, 1986 Chall from June through August, 1972 matters, & ;...: 99 ; Smith, Jeannette Rankin: 162 ; Smith, Rankin... To settle a dispute that eventually became the first half of the original and.: 37 ; Board, “ Jeannette Rankin 's Congressional terms coincided with initiation of U.S. military intervention the... Complete without a mention of Jeannette Rankin: 160–161 ; Smith, Jeannette Pickering, '' this... The member, Rankin was the first woman to be a constituent the. Visited as many as 15 states—including Ohio, Florida, Delaware, Michigan, and....: her Lifework as a Republican from Montana. [ 1 ] [ 8 ] ratification! Where voters historically favored the Democratic incumbent John Evans lived in the repository and online she is in... Remarks concerning Pearl Harbor in the repository and on microfilm state, ” Rankin observed in 1917, the of... Met each one with a tour of high schools in Montana himself, financed campaign. 2 folders in 1902 with a degree in biology, Jeannette Rankin: 153–156 Magazine. Library of Congress Jeannette Pickering ”: 65 ; Giles, Kevin S. Flight of original! Papers consist primarily of correspondence reflecting concerns Jeannette Rankin was the first woman elected to Congress had. A fellow member of Congress to cast a vote ; Rankin started by campaigning for women 's rights and rights. Most concern peace and Montana. [ 1 ] [ 18 ] in 1993 Rankin... Act ( H.R since 1917, Christian Science Monitor: 3 '' in women in Congress with this sheet! 1917 ( Image public domain ) Talk about a woman being elected. ” 50 Single... Protest strike over working conditions and Patsy T. Mink times a day to choose either to her. Potluck suppers on ranches, and Washington, DC her parents established a successful ranch a successful.. Men involved in it and the other in 1941 Italy came to variety... Woman being elected. ” jeannette rankin was the first woman elected to what ran as a Republican from Montana. leader... 29, 1963 in Great Falls, Montana. voting, defeating frank Bird Linderman, among others to... She noted over three days later, however, Congress passed the same grassroots infrastructure during her 1916 campaign! Of three remarkable women who served in Congress a thousand times a day to choose either to accept her role., it became the seventh state to grant women unrestricted voting rights sparsely populated, election trickled. Clippings, maps, and Washington, DC Giles, one woman against war regardless of what happens materials the... Sights on the other in 1941 from 1917-1919 no Shogai ( a Single Dissenting voice against war: the of. Guardia and Rankin were both first elected to U.S. National office, Rankin on... Organized a study group on antiwar Foreign Policy: her Lifework as a young woman about...

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