WILD WEST WEDNESDAY -- JEANNETTE RANKIN

This is the anniversary of the first woman elected to the U. S. House of Representatives.

Jeannette was born to forward thinking parents who encouraged her to aspire beyond the roles open to women in the early 20th century. She was a graduate of the University of Montana and the New York School of Philanthropy. She worked briefly as a social worker before becoming active in the national effort to win women the vote in 1914. Montana joined Wyoming and Colorado in granting women's suffrage in 1914.

In 1916 she was elected and went to Washington D. C. where she would continue to make history. She was a dedicated pacifist who stood behind her beliefs. Her first vote as a U. S. Congresswoman was against the U. S. entry into WWI. As a result of this controversial vote she lost her re-election bid in 1918. In a bit of historical irony she was again elected to the House of Representatives in 1940. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor Rankin became the only person in the history of Congress to vote against U. S. entry into both world wars.