Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand introduced a resolution this week commemorating the landmark 25th anniversary of Geraldine Ferraro’s nomination to the Office of the Vice President on the Democratic Party ticket headed by former Vice President Walter Mondale. Ferraro, then representing New York’s 9th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, was the first woman to be nominated for a major-party ticket in the United States.
“Geraldine Ferraro taught a generation of women that they can achieve anything,” said Senator Gillibrand, “When Geraldine Ferraro entered the House in 1978, there were only 16 women in the House and three in the Senate. Today, I am honored to be one of 17 women in the Senate, and 75 women serve in the House, where a woman serves as Speaker. I know that all the women in Congress are proud to join me in recognizing Geraldine Ferraro as a true trailblazer, without whom many of us would not be in public office today.”
Geraldine Ferraro broke barriers starting at a young age – first working as a teacher, then entering Fordham Law School in New York City, at a time when many women did not work outside the home. On joining the Queens County District Attorney’s office, Ferraro concentrated on the most vulnerable in society, supervising the prosecution of violent crimes including child and domestic abuse.
In the House of Representatives, Ferraro made her mark in many areas, including through the sponsorship of the Women’s Economic Equity Act, which attacked pension discrimination and provided increased job training and opportunities for women entering and re-entering the workforce. Ferraro continued her record of public service, serving as President Clinton’s United States Ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
