Women in the Senate
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Senators Smith and Neuberger confer with Lyndon Johnson, ca. 1967. (Senate Historical Office)
Rebecca Latimer Felton of Georgia, the first woman to serve in the United States Senate, took the oath of office on November 21, 1922. Having been appointed to fill a vacancy, Felton served for just 24 hours. The 87-year-old Felton's largely symbolic Senate service capped a long career in Georgia politics and journalism.
The first woman elected to the Senate was Hattie Wyatt Caraway of Arkansas. Appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the death of her husband, U.S. Senator Thaddeus Caraway, Ms. Caraway then sought and won election on her own in 1932. She was reelected in 1938 and served until 1945.
To date, thirty-eight women have served in the United States Senate, with seventeen serving at this time (indicated in bold print below).
Women in the Senate
Rebecca Latimer Felton (D-Georgia), 1922
Hattie Wyatt Caraway (D-Arkansas), 1931-1945
Rose McConnell Long (D-Louisiana), 1936-1937
Dixie Bibb Graves (D-Alabama), 1937-1938
Gladys Pyle (R-South Dakota), 1938-1939
Vera Cahalan Bushfield (R-South Dakota), 1948
Margaret Chase Smith (R-Maine), 1949-1973
Eva Kelley Bowring (R-Nebraska), 1954
Hazel Hempel Abel (R-Nebraska), 1954
Maurine Brown Neuberger (D-Oregon), 1960-1967
Elaine S. Edwards (D-Louisiana), 1972
Muriel Humphrey (D-Minnesota), 1978
Maryon Allen (D-Alabama), 1978
Nancy Landon Kassebaum (R-Kansas), 1978-1997
Paula Hawkins (R-Florida), 1981-1987
Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland), 1987-
Jocelyn Burdick (D-North Dakota), 1992
Dianne Feinstein (D-California), 1992-
Barbara Boxer (D-California), 1993-
Carol Moseley Braun (D-Illinois), 1993-1999
Patty Murray (D-Washington), 1993-
Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), 1993-
Olympia Jean Snowe (R-Maine), 1995-
Sheila Frahm (R-Kansas), 1996
Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana), 1997-
Susan Collins (R-Maine), 1997-
Blanche Lincoln (D-Arkansas), 1999-
Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-New York), 2001-2009
Deborah Stabenow (D-Michigan), 2001-
Maria E. Cantwell (D-Washington), 2001-
Jean Carnahan (D-Missouri), 2001- 2002
Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), 2002-
Elizabeth Dole (R-North Carolina), 2003-2009
Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri), 2007-
Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), 2007-
Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire), 2009-
Kay R. Hagan (D-North Carolina), 2009-
Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-New York), 2009-
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Women in the House of Representatives
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