Date: April 2, 1917
On this day with SHAC: Jeannette Rankin began her term as the first female member of the United States Congress. Rankin was also one of few suffragists elected to Congress and the only member of Congress to vote against U.S. participation in both world wars.
The eldest daughter of a rancher and a schoolteacher, she was born near Missoula, Montana, on June 11, 1880. She graduated from Montana State University in 1902 and attended the New York School of Philanthropy. After a brief period as a social worker in Spokane, Washington, Rankin entered the University of Washington in Seattle. It was there that she joined the woman suffrage movement, a campaign that achieved its goal in Washington State in 1910. Rankin became a professional lobbyist for the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). Her speaking and organizing efforts helped Montana women gain the vote in 1914. In 1916, Rankin decided to run and campaigned on a platform of suffrage and political connections through her brother, Wellington.
As a known pacifist, Rankin’s ideals towards non-violence were not always so well-received. When the Germans announced war, Rankin and the rest of Congress gathered to vote on an action to be taken. She inadvertently violated House rules by making a brief speech when casting her vote.
“I want to stand by my country, but I cannot vote for war,” she told the House. “I vote no.”
The final vote was 374 for the war resolution and 50 against. The Helena Independent likened her to “a dagger in the hands of the German propagandists, a dupe of the Kaiser, a member of the Hun army in the United States, and a crying schoolgirl.”
In addition to her strong belief in pacifism, Rankin also fought for women’s rights, and was the leader of many movements that worked towards universal suffrage. She headed up committees within the government and worked with different departments to increase social welfare and women’s rights. As well, Rankin did work on the banning of child labor and continued to be involved in the boycotting of American involvement in the Second World War, despite the backlash that she received.