Jeannette Rankin First Women Sworn Into Congress (1917)
On April 2, 1917, Jeannette Rankin, a Republican from Montana, became the very first woman sworn into Congress and the first woman elected to a national legislature in a Western democracy. Rankin was elected to the 65 Congress as a Member of the House of Representatives.
Rankin not only made history as the first woman to serve in Congress but she also made history in her voting, efforts to promote women’s suffrage, and in advocating the spread of non-violence.
Rankin worked to grant women the right to vote in Montana, which she helped to accomplish in 1914 – prior to the passage of the 19th Amendment that gave women the right to vote in the U.S. So, Rankin could legally vote in Montana when she was elected to Congress even though most women in America lacked the right to vote.
Four days after Rankin took office as a representative, she made history again when she acted as the only representative in Congress to vote against U.S. entry into World War I. Rankin was a lifelong pacifist and stood by her non-violent beliefs even in the midst of public scrutiny. However, despite her vote against entering the war she still assisted in Liberty Bonds to assist the military and she voted for a military draft.
The Nineteenth Amendment (which gave women the right to vote everywhere in the United States) was not ratified until 1920; therefore, During Rankin's first term in Congress (1917-1919), Ranking represented many women throughout the country who still did not have the right to vote. Once Rankin entered Congress she diligently promoted the passage of the 19th Amendment to give women the right to vote across the country – which was ratified in 1920.
In 1917, toward the end of her first term in Congress, Rankin opened up debate on an Amendment to the U.S. Constitution promoted by Susan B. Anthony to allow women the right to vote. The Amendment passed the House of Representatives in 1917 and passed the Senate in 1918. The 19th Amendment, which gave women across the US the right to vote, was finally ratified by the states in 1920 – at least in part to the efforts of Rankin.
Over the next two decades Rankin worked as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. for various interests. Then, in 1941, Rankin ran again for Congress and won a seat again. Rankin quickly made history again when she voted against America’s entry into both World War I and World War II. To this day, Rankin remains the only member of Congress to vote against US entry in WWI and WWII.
Rankin also became the founding Vice-President of the American Civil Liberties Union and a founding member of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. After her second term in Congress, Rankin continued her pacifist efforts in India where she traveled numerous times. Rankin died in California in 1973.