List of the first women holders of political offices in the United States

Throughout the history of the United States, various women have become the first to hold numerous political positions. At the federal level, Frances Perkins became the first female member of the Cabinet of the United States upon becoming Secretary of Labor in 1933. Women have gone on to serve as the heads of various other executive branch departments. Moreover, although no woman has ever been President of the United States, Kamala Harris became the first female Vice President of the United States in 2021.

In the United States Congress, Jeannette Rankin became the first female legislator upon entering the United States House of Representatives in 1917. Five years later, Rebecca Latimer Felton became the first woman to serve in the United States Senate. In 2007, Nancy Pelosi became the first female Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.

At the state level, Nellie Tayloe Ross became the first woman to serve as a governor in the United States, becoming Governor of Wyoming in 1925. Women have also been the first in statewide positions such as lieutenant governor and legislative speaker.

Finally, at the local level, Susanna M. Salter became the first female mayor in the United States, becoming the chief executive of Argonia, Kansas in 1887. Women have also been the first to serve in other municipal positions, including boards of education.

This article excludes women firsts in American judicial courts. In the federal judiciary, although six women have served as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, there has never been a female chief justice of the United States.

Federal

Executive

Presidential line of succession

Except for Speaker of the House of Representatives and President pro tempore of the Senate, all of the following offices are part of the Cabinet of the United States. +ImageNameStart of tenureEnd of tenureRank in presidential successionOffice of firstNotesKamala Harris1Vice PresidentNancy Pelosi2Speaker of the House of RepresentativesPatty Murray3President pro tempore of the SenateMadeleine Albright4Secretary of StateJanet Yellen5Secretary of the TreasuryNone6Secretary of DefenseJanet Reno7Attorney GeneralGale Norton8Secretary of the InteriorAnn Veneman9Secretary of AgricultureJuanita M. Kreps10Secretary of CommerceFrances Perkins11Secretary of LaborOveta Culp Hobby12Secretary of Health and Human ServicesCarla Anderson Hills13Secretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentElizabeth Dole14Secretary of TransportationHazel R. O'Leary15Secretary of EnergyShirley Hufstedler16Secretary of EducationNone17Secretary of Veterans AffairsJanet Napolitano18Secretary of Homeland Security

Department heads

In addition to the positions listed below, in 2003, Susan Livingstone became the first woman to serve as United States Secretary of the Navy in an acting capacity. +ImageNameStart of tenureEnd of tenureTitle of departmentNotesMegan BrennanPostmaster GeneralSheila WidnallSecretary of the Air ForceChristine WormuthSecretary of the Army

Advisors

+ImageNameStart of tenureEnd of tenureTitle of officeNotesCarla Anderson HillsTrade RepresentativeLaura TysonChair of the Council of Economic AdvisersDirector of the National Economic CouncilAlice RivlinDirector of the Office of Management and BudgetCondoleezza RiceNational Security AdvisorSusie WilesIncumbentWhite House Chief of Staff

Legislative

Senate

Fifteen states have not had female representation in the United States Senate. +ImageNameStart of first termEnd of last termState of firstNotesRebecca Latimer FeltonGeorgiaHattie CarawayArkansasRose McConnell LongLouisianaDixie Bibb GravesAlabamaGladys PyleSouth DakotaMargaret Chase SmithMaineEva BowringNebraskaMaurine NeubergerOregonMuriel HumphreyMinnesotaNancy KassebaumKansasPaula HawkinsFloridaBarbara MikulskiMarylandJocelyn BurdickNorth DakotaDianne FeinsteinCaliforniaCarol Moseley BraunIllinoisPatty MurrayIncumbentWashingtonKay Bailey HutchisonTexasDebbie StabenowMichiganJean CarnahanMissouriHillary ClintonNew YorkLisa MurkowskiIncumbentAlaskaElizabeth DoleNorth CarolinaJeanne ShaheenIncumbentNew HampshireMazie HironoIncumbentHawaiiElizabeth WarrenIncumbentMassachusettsTammy BaldwinIncumbentWisconsinJoni ErnstIncumbentIowaShelley Moore CapitoIncumbentWest VirginiaCatherine Cortez MastoIncumbentNevadaCindy Hyde-SmithIncumbentMississippiMartha McSallyArizonaKyrsten SinemaArizonaMarsha BlackburnIncumbentTennesseeCynthia LummisIncumbentWyomingLisa Blunt RochesterIncumbentDelawareDarline GrahamIncumbentSouth Carolina

House of Representatives

Mississippi is the only state that has not had female representation in the United States House of Representatives. +ImageNameStart of first termEnd of last termState of firstNotesJeannette RankinMontana (MT-AL)Montana (MT-1)Alice RobertsonOklahoma (OK-2)Winnifred Mason HuckIllinois (IL-AL)Mae NolanCalifornia (CA-5)Mary Teresa NortonNew Jersey (NJ-12; 1925–1933)New Jersey (NJ-13; 1933–1951)Edith Nourse RogersMassachusetts (MA-5)Katherine G. LangleyKentucky (KY-10)Pearl P. OldfieldArkansas (AR-2)Ruth Bryan OwenFlorida (FL-4)Ruth Baker PrattNew York (NY-17)Willa Blake EslickTennessee (TN-7)Virginia E. JenckesIndiana (IN-6)Kathryn O'Loughlin McCarthyKansas (KS-6)Isabella GreenwayArizona (AZ-AL)Nan Wood HoneymanOregon (OR-3)Elizabeth Hawley GasqueSouth Carolina (SC-6)Frances P. BoltonOhio (OH-22)Margaret Chase SmithMaine (ME-2)Florence Reville GibbsGeorgia (GA-6)Katharine ByronMaryland (MD-6)Veronica Grace BolandPennsylvania (PA-11)Clare Boothe LuceConnecticut (CT-4)Eliza Jane PrattNorth Carolina (NC-8)Georgia Lee LuskNew Mexico (NM-AL; Seat A)Reva Beck BosoneUtah (UT-2)Ruth ThompsonMichigan (MI-9)Elizabeth KeeWest Virginia (WV-5)Gracie PfostIdaho (ID-1)Leonor SullivanMissouri (MO-3)Coya KnutsonMinnesota (MN-9)Catherine Dean MayWashington (WA-4)Patsy MinkHawaii (HI-AL; Seat B; 1965–1971)Hawaii (HI-2; 1971–1977)Hawaii (HI-2)Lera Millard ThomasTexas (TX-8)Elizabeth B. AndrewsAlabama (AL-3)Pat SchroederColorado (CO-1)Lindy BoggsLouisiana (LA-2)Virginia D. SmithNebraska (NE-3)Claudine SchneiderRhode Island (RI-2)Barbara VucanovichNevada (NV-2)Leslie ByrneVirginia (VA-11)Barbara CubinWyoming (WY-AL)Tammy BaldwinWisconsin (WI-2)Stephanie Herseth SandlinSouth Dakota (SD-AL)Carol Shea-PorterNew Hampshire (NH-1)Lisa Blunt RochesterDelaware (DE-AL)Cindy AxneIowa (IA-3)Mary PeltolaAlaska (AK-AL)Becca BalintIncumbentVermont (VT-AL)Julie FedorchakIncumbentNorth Dakota (ND-AL)

Non-voting members

+ImageNameStart of first termEnd of last termTerritory of firstNotesEleanor Holmes NortonIncumbentWashington, D.C. (DC-AL)Donna ChristensenUnited States Virgin Islands (VI-AL)Madeleine BordalloGuam (GU-AL)Amata Coleman RadewagenIncumbentAmerican Samoa (AS-AL)Jenniffer González-ColónPuerto Rico (PR-AL)Kimberlyn King-HindsIncumbentNorthern Mariana Islands (CNMI-AL)

State Governors

WyomingNellie Tayloe Ross in 1925 TexasMiriam A. Ferguson in 1925 AlabamaLurleen Wallace in 1967 ConnecticutElla T. Grasso in 1975 WashingtonDixy Lee Ray in 1977 New HampshireVesta M. Roy in 1982 KentuckyMartha Collins in 1983 VermontMadeleine Kunin in 1985 NebraskaKay A. Orr in 1987 ArizonaRose Mofford in 1988 KansasJoan Finney in 1991 OregonBarbara Roberts in 1991 New JerseyChristine Todd Whitman in 1994 OhioNancy Hollister in 1998 MontanaJudy Martz in 2001 DelawareRuth Ann Minner in 2001 MassachusettsJane Swift in 2001 HawaiiLinda Lingle in 2002 MichiganJennifer Granholm in 2003 UtahOlene Walker in 2003 LouisianaKathleen Blanco in 2004 AlaskaSarah Palin in 2006 North CarolinaBev Perdue in 2009 New MexicoSusana Martinez in 2011 OklahomaMary Fallin in 2011 South CarolinaNikki Haley in 2011 Rhode IslandGina Raimondo in 2015 IowaKim Reynolds in 2017 MaineJanet Mills in 2019 South DakotaKristi Noem in 2019 New YorkKathy Hochul in 2021 ArkansasSarah Huckabee Sanders in 2023 VirginiaAbigail Spanberger in 2026

Other officials

State legislatorCarrie C. Holly, Clara Cressingham, and Frances S. Klock, all of Colorado in 1894 State SenatorMartha Hughes Cannon of Utah in 1896 First woman to serve in both houses of a state legislatureEdna Beard of Vermont in 1923 Speaker of a state legislatureMinnie Davenport Craig of North Dakota in 1933 Lieutenant governorConsuelo Northrop Bailey of Vermont in 1955 Majority leader of a state senateSandra Day O'Connor of Arizona in 1972

Local

Superintendent of Public EducationEllen Webster in 1872 in Harvey County, KansasChase County Leader, July 19, 1872. "Webster, Ellen". December 29, 2020. Superintendent of Public EducationMary Higby in 1872 in Labette County, KansasOswego Independent, October 12, 1872. "Higby, Mary". December 29, 2020. Board of EducationLydia Sayer Hasbrouck in 1880"Hasbrouck, Lydia Sayer (1827–1910)". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved January 14, 2018. MayorSusanna M. Salter in 1887Susana Madora Salter-First Woman Mayor (Kansas Collection-Kansas Historical Quarterlies) Chief of the Cherokee NationWilma Mankiller in 1985Women of the Hall National Women's Hall of Fame. (retrieved June 21, 2009) Chairwoman of the Tohono O'odham NationVivian Juan-Saunders in 2003

See also

Female state legislators in the United States Feminism in the United States List of American women's firsts List of female United States presidential and vice presidential candidates List of first openly LGBTQ politicians in the United States List of first women lawyers and judges in the United States Sandra Day O'ConnorFirst woman to serve as a United States Supreme Court justice History of women in the United States Timeline of women in the United States Women in the United States Armed Forces Women's suffrage in the United States

Footnotes Notes

Citations

External links Center for American Women in Politics data on United States female political participation