The Achievement
On November 7, 1916, Jeannette Rankin was elected to the United States House of Representatives from Montana's at-large congressional district. She was 36 years old. She was the first woman elected to Congress in the history of the United States.
Montana had granted women the right to vote in 1914. The 19th Amendment, which extended voting rights to women nationally, would not be ratified until 1920. Rankin was elected to national office before most American women could vote for her.
She took office on March 4, 1917. The country was debating whether to enter World War I. Within a month, she would cast one of the most controversial votes of her career.
Life Before Congress
Rankin grew up on a ranch near Missoula, Montana, the eldest of seven children. Her father was a rancher and lumber merchant. After graduating from the University of Montana in 1902, she tried teaching and social work before finding her cause: women's suffrage.
She became a field secretary for the National American Woman Suffrage Association, organizing campaigns across the West. She was instrumental in Montana's successful 1914 suffrage campaign. Two years later, she ran for Congress.
Her campaign was built on suffrage, social welfare, and opposition to child labor. She ran as a Republican in a state that had never sent a woman to Washington.
The Vote Against World War I
On April 6, 1917, Congress voted on President Wilson's request for a declaration of war against Germany. Rankin voted no. She was one of 50 representatives and 6 senators to oppose entry into the war.
Her vote was controversial but not unique. What made it notable was her gender. Critics accused her of being too emotional to hold office. Some suffrage leaders distanced themselves from her, worried that her antiwar stance would be used to argue that women were too sentimental for politics.
Rankin lost her bid for a Senate seat in 1918. She spent the next two decades as a social worker and peace activist, lobbying for disarmament and working with organizations like the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.
The Vote Against World War II
In 1940, Rankin won election to Congress again, running on an antiwar platform as global conflict loomed. On December 8, 1941, the day after Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan.
The vote was 388 to 1. Rankin was the one.
"As a woman I can't go to war," she said, "and I refuse to send anyone else." She was met with boos from the gallery. After the vote, she had to hide in a phone booth in the cloakroom to escape angry colleagues and members of the public.
She remains the only member of Congress in American history to have voted against entering both World War I and World War II.
Later Life and Continued Activism
Rankin did not seek re-election in 1942. She traveled widely, spending time in India (where she studied Gandhi's nonviolent methods) and continuing to advocate for peace.
In January 1968, at age 87, she led the Jeannette Rankin Brigade, a march of 5,000 women on the United States Capitol protesting the Vietnam War. It was the largest women-led protest against the war.
She died on May 18, 1973, in Carmel, California, at age 92. She had been considering running for Congress a third time to oppose the Vietnam War.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was the first woman elected to Congress?
Jeannette Rankin of Montana, elected November 7, 1916.
Did Jeannette Rankin vote against both World Wars?
Yes. She is the only member of Congress in US history to have voted against entering both World War I (1917) and World War II (1941).
Who was the first woman elected to the US Senate?
Hattie Caraway of Arkansas, elected in a special election in 1932.
Who was the first woman Speaker of the House?
Nancy Pelosi, elected Speaker in January 2007.
How could Rankin be elected before women could vote nationally?
Montana granted women the right to vote in 1914, six years before the 19th Amendment.