This day in Women's History 11/7/1916 - First woman elected to congress!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/first-woman-congress_us_5820b237e4b0e80b02cb7ba0
The U.S. Elected The First Woman To Congress 100 Years Ago
he United States could make history by electing its first woman president on Tuesday, which echoes a different landmark the country reached exactly one hundred years ago electing the first woman to Congress.
The people of Montana elected Jeannette Rankin (R) to the House of Representatives on Nov. 7, 1916. Born and raised in the state, Rankin worked as a social worker before committing herself to the fight for womens suffrage.
Running a progressive campaign, Rankin devoted herself to pacifism. She became the only congressperson in U.S. history to vote against American involvement in World War I and World War II.
I may be the first woman member of Congress, but I wont be the last, Rankin said after her victory.
Rankins election to the House was especially historic, coming four years before the passage of the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote. Black women, though, still faced systemic voter suppression until the Voting Rights Act of 1965
I know she was a republican but she was also a progressive. I suspect most Republicans from 50 years ago or even longer would probably be considered Democrats today.