Well, a lot of them were Junior Leaguers.
Now, just in time for Women’s Equality Day, let’s take a look…
- Who was the first U.S. delegate to the United Nations? Eleanor Roosevelt of the Junior League of the City of New York. (Yes, that Eleanor Roosevelt!)
- Who was the first head of the first-ever government consumer bureau? Mary Harriman. (Yes, that Mary Harriman!)
- Who was the first woman to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court? Sandra Day O’Connor of the Junior League of Phoenix.
- Who was the first woman to serve in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives? Margaret Chase Smith of the Junior League of Bangor, ME. (Also the first woman nominated for president by a major political party.)
- Who was the first female Chief of Protocol of the United States? Shirley Temple Black of the Junior League of Palo Alto-Mid Peninsula. (Yes, that Shirley Temple.)
- Who was the first Secretary of the Department of Health Education and Welfare (and first commanding officer of the Women’s Army Corps)? Oveta Culp Hobby of the Junior League of Houston.
- Who was the first woman to die on active military duty? Cornelia Fort of the Junior League of Nashville.
- Who was the first woman to serve as a director of General Motors & AT&T? Catherine Cleary of the Junior League of Milwaukee.
- Who was the first woman to defeat a female incumbent in a U.S. Senate election? Kay Hagan of the Junior League of Greensboro.
- Who were some of the first women to win elections as big city mayors? Carole Keeton Strayhorn (Junior League of Austin) of Austin, TX; Willie Mount (Junior League of Lake Charles) of Lake Charles, LA; Glenda Hood (Junior League of Greater Orlando) of Orlando, FL; Margaret Hance (Junior League of Phoenix) of Phoenix, AZ; and Pat Evans (Junior League of Collin County) of Plano, TX.
