Jeanette Rankin Becomes the First Woman in Congress

Did you know, that on this date in 1916, Jeanette Rankin became the first woman elected to U.S. Congress? She was elected as the Republican Representative from Montana and served two terms, in 1917-1919 and 1941-1943. Rankin was a well-known suffragist and pacifist who ran on a platform of working towards a constitutional woman suffrage amendment and social welfare issues.