Barbara Jordan (1936-1996)
After graduating from Boston University Law School in 1959, Barbara Jordan returned to her home in Houston, Texas, and began practicing law out of her parent's home. She also worked for the Harris County Democratic Party, which initiated her interest in politics. Although she lost two elections for the Texas House of Representatives, she prevailed in 1966 when she became the first African American woman to be elected to Texas Senate. Jordan had several accomplishments during her six years as a Senator, including establishing laws for minimum wage. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1972, and spent the next six years making key decisions regarding issues such as President Nixon's impeachment and improving conditions for the needy. She retired from politics to teach at the University of Texas. Jordan delivered the Key Note Address at the Democratic National Convention in 1976 and received the Medal of Freedom from President Clinton in 1994. After a lifelong battle with multiple sclerosis, as well as being diagnosed with leukemia, Jordan died on January 17, 1996.

Olympia Snowe (1947- )
Olympia Snowe graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in political science in 1969, but it was not until 1973 that she was thrown into the political arena. She was elected to the seat in the Maine House of Representatives that was left vacant when her husband, Peter Snowe, died. She was re-elected in 1974 and was elected to the Maine Senate in 1976. Two years later she became the youngest Republican woman and the first Greek-American woman elected to Congress. In 1994 she was elected to the U.S. Senate, becoming only the second woman to represent Maine as a Senator. Among Snowe's accomplishments are budget and fiscal responsibility; education, including student financial aid and education technology; national security; women's issues; health care, including prescription drug coverage for Medicare recipients; oceans and fisheries issues; and campaign finance reform. In 2001, Snowe became the first Republican woman ever to secure a full-term seat on the Senate Finance Committee. Snowe is the Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Health Care, which oversees matters related to health insurance, Medicare and the uninsured.

Jean Carnahan (1933- )
When Governor Mel Carnahan died October 16, 2000, his name was on the ballot for U.S. Senate in the November election. Jean Carnahan, sensing Missouri's needs, agreed to take his position should he be elected. Carnahan was appointed to a two-year term as a Missouri Senator. Prior to taking this position, she worked for childhood immunization, Children in the Workplace, Rape and Abuse Crisis Center, Habitat for Humanity, and for those people who struggle with cancer, osteoporosis, mental health, and drug problems. Carnahan plans to run for re-election in November 2002. As a Senator, she is an advocate for Missouri jobs, schools, and families.

"With the support of my family, and an abiding faith in a living God, I decided to do what I think Mel would want me to do ... Should the people of Missouri elect my husband, I promise to take their common dreams to the U.S. Senate."

Geraldine Ferraro (1935- )
Geraldine Ferraro earned her law degree in 1960 and practiced law until she accepted a position as an assistant district attorney in the Investigations Bureau in Queens in 1974. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1978 and was re-elected in 1980 and 1982. The 1984 election Democratic candidate, Walter Mondale, selected Ferraro as his running mate. Had he not lost the election to Ronald Reagan, Ferraro would have been the Vice President. She was, however, the first female vice-presidential nominee of a major political party. She supported law and order, the elderly, and neighborhood preservation. Since 1984, Ferraro has remained involved in politics. President Clinton appointed her to lead the United States delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Commission. She served as a public delegate in February 1993 and was also the alternate United States delegate to the World Conference on Human Rights held in Vienna in June 1993.

"It was more than the fact that I was the vice presidential candidate on a ticket that was challenging the incumbent person, the vice president, but here I was as the first woman and you know I was standing in for millions of women in this country. If I messed up, I was messing it up for them."

Madeline Albright (1937- )
When she took the position of Secretary of State in 1997, she not only became the first woman to take the position, but also the highest-ranking woman in the history of the United States. Madeline Albright, a native of Czechoslovakia, got her start in journalism and public relations, and went on to a successful career in politics. As Secretary of State, she has created policies and institutions to help guide the world into a new century of peace and prosperity. Among the political positions she has had are Chief legislative assistant, Congressional liaison, Foreign policy coordinator, Democratic presidential ticket, and senior foreign-policy adviser to Democratic presidential candidate Michael S. Dukakis. She also was appointed by President Bill Clinton as U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations in 1993.

"I have been a woman for 60 years. I have only been Secretary of State for a short time, so we're still seeing how the two go together. My appointment does show the incredible opportunity in this country, and President Clinton's dedication to that kind of opportunity. As you know, I was also our representative in New York at the United Nations and found that representing the most powerful country in the world was a great challenge and an honor."

Eva Perón (1919-1952)
As daughter of an Argentinean man and his mistress, Eva Perón often was looked down upon by society. She did not find success until she met Juan Perón in 1944 and fell in love with him. They shared a common passion for ambition and success, and by 1945 were the most powerful people in Argentina. Shortly after they were married, Juan Perón became President and Eva began to climb the ladder of success. She was given her own office at the capital and began devoting her time to helping the poor. She established the Eva Perón Foundation, hospitals, schools, and housing projects. She also organized the women's branch of the Justicialist Party. Although it has been half of a century since her death from uterine cancer, the legacy of Eva Perón still is apparent. Her story has been extended into a musical and the 1996 movie "Evita" starring Madonna as Eva Perón.

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)
Eleanor Roosevelt, wife, mother to five children, and political activist, definitely changed the role traditionally played by the First Lady of the United States. She was the first to hold her own press conferences (some for women reporters only), travel the country on behalf of her husband, deliver radio broadcasts, and write a daily newspaper column. Although she was born into a life of wealth and privilege, Eleanor decided at age 17 to devote herself to helping those who were less fortunate. She taught classes at a settlement house and worked with disadvantaged children. Married to her fifth cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eleanor became politically active when he suffered the crippling effects of polio in 1921. Franklin had been Governor of New York prior to his paralysis. He successfully captured the Oval Office in 1932 at the height of the Great Depression. As an advocate for the poor, Eleanor's influence was evident in many New Deal programs. When President Roosevelt died, April 12, 1945, Harry S. Truman became president. She continued working to improve the lives of America's oppressed by lobbying Truman on civil rights issues. He appointed her delegate to the United Nations where she chaired that body's Commission on Human Rights. In 1961 President John Kennedy appointed her chairwoman of the Commission on the Status of Women. This committee's report resulted in the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, making it illegal to pay a woman less for performing the same job as a male. After a life devoted to improving life for the poor and taking a stand for equal treatment for women and minorities when it was extremely unpopular to do so, Eleanor Roosevelt died at age 78.

Elizabeth Hanford Dole (1936- )
Voted by her high school classmates "Most Likely to Succeed," Elizabeth Dole graduated from Duke University with distinction in 1958, studied at Oxford University, and received a master's degree in education from Harvard University. She earned a law degree from Harvard School of Law in 1966. Ms. Dole, a registered Democrat at the time, was a member of President Lyndon Johnson's Committee on Consumer Affairs. She was appointed Deputy Assistant to President Richard Nixon for Consumer Affairs in 1972 and served on the Federal Trade Commission from 1973-1980. She managed Voters for Reagan-Bush in 1980 and, when Reagan won the Oval Office, Elizabeth Dole was appointed assistant to the president for public liaison. In 1983 Dole became the first woman to serve as Secretary of Transportation. In 1989 she served as President Bush's Secretary of Labor. Elizabeth Dole was the first woman to serve in two cabinet posts under two presidents. She became Director of the American Red Cross in 1990, leaving briefly to campaign for her husband, Senator Bob Dole, when he was seeking the 1996 Republican nomination. Mrs. Dole resigned from the Red Cross in 1999 announcing her candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000. Despite substantial support, Elizabeth Dole withdrew her name prior to the state primaries. Recently, she said she would "seriously consider" running for the Senate seat of Jesse Helms (R-NC) should he retire in 2002.

Patricia Roberts Harris (1924-1985)
The first Black female to represent the United States as an ambassador, the first to serve in a cabinet level position as well as the first African American woman to hold two cabinet posts, Patricia Harris was an accomplished educator, lawyer, and political activist. Ms. Harris, a Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude graduate of Howard University, pursued a law degree from George Washington University. She graduated first in her class and was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court. Her first presidential appointment came during the Kennedy administration when she was tapped to be co-chair of the National Women's Committee for Civil Rights. President Lyndon Johnson appointed her as America's ambassador to Luxembourg, a post she held from 1965-1967. Ms. Harris served as President Carter's Secretary of Health and Human Services and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
During her confirmation hearing, one Senator mused that perhaps she would not be comfortable representing America's "underclass" once she was elevated to a cabinet position. Ms. Harris, noted for her forthright manner, replied:

"I am one of them. You do not seem to understand who I am. I am a Black
woman, the daughter of a dining-car worker. I am a Black woman who could
not buy a house eight years ago in parts of the District of Columbia."

Patricia Harris was the 23rd African American and the 7th female to be honored on
a U.S. postage stamp in the Black Heritage Series.

Patricia Scott Schroeder (1940- )
Wife, mother, author, attorney, and the longest serving female member of the House of Representatives, Pat Schroeder graduated magna cum laude with a B. A. from the University of Minnesota while working as an insurance adjuster. She continued her education at Harvard University. In a class of more than 500 men, she was one of fifteen women to graduate from Harvard Law School in 1964. Encouraged by her husband, James, she successfully challenged the Republican incumbent for Colorado's First Congressional District seat. Her 1972 election victory marked the beginning of twelve successive terms in Congress. Ms. Schroeder's career on Capitol Hill included serving on the House Judiciary Committee, acting as co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues, and chairing the House Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families. The first woman to serve on the Armed Services Committee, she fought successfully to secure the right of women to fly combat missions in 1991. Pat Schroeder was considered as a viable candidate to replace Gary Hart as the 1988 Democratic presidential nominee. Pat Schroeder is currently President and CEO of the Association of American Publishers.

Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm (1924- )
Shirley Chisholm holds the distinction of being the first African American female to be elected to the House of Representatives and the first black to seek the presidential nomination of a major political party. A New York Democrat, Ms. Chisholm was elected to the Ninety-first Congress in 1964 and was successful in re-election bids in the next six Congressional elections. She chose not to run for re-election in 1982. Considered an authority on early childhood education, Chisholm's voice of reform also spoke to women's rights issues and the plight of the urban poor. She was an outspoken opponent of the Vietnam War.

Ms. Chisholm commented that she had faced more discrimination as a woman than as a minority. Speaking to the House in support of passage of the equal rights amendment on May 21, 1969, she observed:

"More than half of the population of the United States is female. But women occupy only 2 percent of the managerial positions. They have not even reached the level of tokenism yet. No women sit on the AFL-CIO council or Supreme Court. There have been only two women who have held Cabinet rank and at present there are none. Only two women now hold ambassadorial rank in the diplomatic corps. In Congress, we are down to one Senator and 10 Representatives."

Since relinquishing her congressional seat, Shirley Chisholm has remained an advocate for women's issues through active involvement in the League of Women Voters and the National Organization of Women. Shirley Chisholm resides in Williamsville, New York at present.