First Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin Past Exhibit … 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. Political pioneer, suffragist, pacifist 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. Rankin was sworn in as a representative for Montana on April 2, 1917. She served …

The 50th Anniversary of Title IX Past Exhibit … Sex discrimination in education put Patsy Mink on a path to becoming a legislator. Title IX —an act barring sex discrimination in education— was to be her signature legislative achievement.   Denied entry to medical school because of her sex, Patsy Mink entered law school instead. She went on to become the first Asian American and first woman of color elected to Congress. The educational discrimination Mink faced as a young woman fueled her desire to secure …