Introduction

Photo: Jeannette Rankin with the United States Capitol

View of Jeannette Rankin with the United States Capitol in the background.

Jeannette Rankin was the United States’ first Congresswoman. She served twice in the House of Representatives, elected by Montana. She is often remembered as being the first woman in Congress and voting against both World Wars. This is only a part of her lifelong dedication to peace. Furthermore, she was an advocate for women's, children's, and workers’ rights.

Remember to use the reading guide here to assist as you make your way through the exhibit. 

Early Life 

Photo: Rankin Family Portrait

Formal portrait of the Rankin family Front Row, Left to Right: John, Mary, Edna, Grace, Wellington, Olive. Back Row, Left to Right: Jeannette, Harriet, Philena (photograph).

Olive Pickering, a schoolteacher, fell in love with a Canadian rancher, John Rankin. Olive and John would marry in August of 1879. Together, they would have seven children, and their eldest was Jeannette Pickering Rankin, born June 11, 1880.

Jeannette grew up outside of Missoula, Montana, on her family’s ranch. She took on many responsibilities, helping her mother raise the children and manage the household. As a teenager, she took on most of the cooking and cleaning duties. She also helped her father with the ranch, even building an extension to their cabin. 

Jeannette realized that on the frontier, men and women were equals. Both men and women contributed to the success of a ranch. This shaped her belief that men and women should be equal in politics as well. This ideology would be the foundation for her suffrage work. 

She was close with her siblings and acted as a maternal figure for them when they were younger. She was especially close to her brother, Wellington, who supported her throughout her political career.

Education and Social Work

Photo: Jeannette Rankin in college science lab

View of a young Jeannette Rankin working on snail research in a science lab, either at the University of Washington or the University of Montana.

Jeannette and her siblings went to public schools in Missoula. After high school graduation, all six daughters attended the University of Montana; with Wellington going to Harvard Law School. In 1902, Jeannette graduated with a degree in Biology. 

During a visit to San Francisco, she volunteered at a settlement home, helping impoverished families. This experience created her passion for social work. From 1908-1909, Jeannette attended the School of Philanthropy in New York City. Here, she witnessed extreme poverty and tried to help families and women get what they needed.

After graduation, she was a social worker at the Washington Children’s Home Society. Their mission was to provide a safe place for children in need until they found a good foster or adoptive home. The organization was underfunded and over capacity, so the reality was far from the ideal. She realized that social work alone could not solve these issues. Instead, she believed there needed to be political reform. As such, she went to the University of Washington to take classes in economics, politics, and law. Social work shaped her dedication to protecting children and sparked her interest in politics to promote change.

Advocating for Women’s Right to Vote

Photo: Jeannette Rankin, Chairman Montana Activities, holding suffrage banner.

View of Jeannette Rankin in the back of a car holding a banner.

In Washington state, Jeannette became involved with the suffrage movement, working to secure women’s right to vote. Minnie Reynolds recruited Jeannette and taught her how to gain supporters through conversation and working with other organizations. Women were successful as Washington granted women the right to vote in 1910.

After the victory, Jeannette Rankin returned home to Montana for Christmas. Jeannette saw an opportunity to use her experiences from Washington to help her home state. She organized a Political Equality Club in Missoula. In 1911, she was the first woman to speak in front of the Montana Legislature about women’s suffrage and introduced the resolution. 

In 1912, she began working for the National American Women’s Suffrage Association (NAWSA). As a field officer, Jeannette assisted with suffrage campaigns in 18 states. She handed out pamphlets, collected signatures, and gave many formal and informal speeches. She interacted with a variety of people, from workers to government officials. 

Jeannette returned to Montana frequently during her time with NAWSA. She encouraged and assisted women across the state to create groups in their rural areas to support women’s right to vote. In 1913, she organized a letter-writing campaign. She encouraged people to write letters of support for suffrage to Montana government officials. In 1914, the year the resolution would be voted on, Jeannette traveled 6,000 miles across the state to speak in support and meet with leaders. On November 3, 1914, Montana women gained the right to vote.

Campaigning

Photo: For Congress, Jeannette Rankin, The Ruby Gem of Montana

View of a campaign banner created by Richard F. (Dick) Beale of Absarokee, Montana, for Republican candidates in the 1916 General Election. Figure on the right is Frank J. Edwards, Republican candidate for Governor and on the left is Republican candidate for President, Charles Evans Hughes. In the middle is a shield with a message supporting Jeannette Rankin, the Republican candidate for U.S. Representative to Congress. The message reads: 'For Congress, Jeannette Rankin, The Ruby Gem of Montana.'

After Montana women won the right to vote in 1914, Jeannette decided to run for the U.S. House of Representatives. Her campaign was a challenging one. Some newspapers were hesitant to cover her and her policies. Leaders of the party gave her a difficult public speaking schedule and sent her to areas with smaller populations to limit her exposure.

She ran as a Republican, but famously said, “I was never a Republican. I ran on the Republican ticket.” Rather, her platform was very typical of the Progressive Era. She focused on women’s right to vote and labor laws—especially for women and children. She also supported anti-corruption legislation because she worried about Anaconda Mining Company's power.

Her brother Wellington, a prominent Montana lawyer, helped fund her campaign.  Belle Fligelman, a reporter, managed her publicity. Belle would remain a close personal aid during Rankin’s term in office. Her team and supporters took a grassroots approach. They traveled to rural areas, completed postcard campaigns, and had small group conversations. With their efforts and the support of many newly enfranchised women, Jeannette won the primary and then the 1916 election.

On November 4, 1916, Jeannette Rankin was elected the first woman to be a member of the House of Representatives. After her election, newspapers, magazines, and organizations wanted her to speak with them. She got a lot of attention, and she purposefully avoided the press until her first interview in New York. Shortly after, Jeannette signed onto a lecture series discussing her political beliefs and women’s suffrage. She had to end her tour early when Congress was called into session early on March 4, 1917.

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Photo: Jeannette Rankin and Wellington Rankin.

View of Jeannette Rankin and her brother, Wellington, on the steps of their family home in Missoula, Montana.

First term in Congress 1917-1919

Photo: Jeannette Rankin speaking from the balcony of the National American Woman Suffrage Association building in Washington, D.C.

View of Jeannette Rankin on the balcony above a sign for the 'National American Woman Suffrage Ass'n,' another woman stands behind her. Jeannette Rankin (R) and Carrie Chapman Catt (L). Photo by Charles Townley Chapman of Kensington, Maryland.

The “No” Vote

When her name was called in the House, she received a standing ovation from the crowd and her fellow Congressmen. 

Four days after being sworn into Congress, her first vote was whether or not the U.S. should enter the Great War (WWI). Many people tried to influence her to vote for the war, including her brother Wellington and the leaders of NAWSA. On the initial vote, she abstained. Then the Republican leader, House Representative Cannon told her “You cannot afford not to vote. You represent the womanhood of the country in the American Congress.” 

Ultimately, when Rankin’s name was called, she stood up and declared: “I want to stand by my country, but I cannot vote for war. I vote No.” She was one of fifty House Representatives that voted no, yet she was the main focus for people’s outrage. Some people tried to use her vote as an argument against women’s suffrage.

Suffrage and Women’s Rights

Jeannette Rankin’s first act, after being sworn into the House, was to introduce the Joint House Resolution 3, also known as the Susan B Anthony Amendment. This would federally grant all women the right to vote, rather than depending on state legislation. While it was not passed in this iteration, it was the foundation for the 19th Amendment. She spoke multiple times in support of nationwide suffrage in the House and addressed the Senate’s Suffrage Committee twice. 

In 1918, the resolution successfully passed the House of Representatives with a 274-136 vote. It later failed in the Senate, which had a Southern Democrat majority. The amendment narrowly failed four times before it was passed. The states ratified the 19th Amendment on August 18, 1920, four years after Jeannette had become the first Congresswoman.

During her time in office, she set the foundation for women’s rights legislation, which would be later realized after she left office. For example, as Congresswoman, she proposed the Rankin-Robinson bill, which would provide healthcare for mothers and babies. Their bill offered twice the funding as the similar welfare bill that was passed in 1921, the Sheppard-Towner Maternity and Infancy Protection Act. 

Labor Laws

Another main issue Jeannette focused on was protecting workers from companies' exploitation. She proposed and supported legislation that would limit the hours women were expected to work and strove to ban child labor.

Jeannette was also interested in workers’ safety and fair wages. In 1917, the Speculator Mine Disaster in Butte demanded a response from Jeannette. Fire and smoke spread quickly throughout the interconnected mines and left 168 miners dead. Jeannette traveled to Butte and spoke out against the Anaconda Mining Company. She warned of their harmful practices that increased the severity of the accident.

She advocated for improved safety in the mines, higher wages, worker’s right to unionize and protest. She also fought to get rid of the rustling card system, which tracked workers and blacklisted union members. She even proposed a resolution to have the federal government take over the mines. She believed it would increase output for the war and improve working conditions. Through these actions, Jeannette gained a powerful enemy—the Anaconda Mining Company.

Senate Race Defeat

Photo: Jeannette Rankin at her home in Bogart, Georgia

Jeannette Rankin standing in front of the home she had built near Bogart, Georgia.

Due to her stand against the Anaconda Mining Company and her vote against WWI, she did not succeed in reelection. She acquired land and started a farm in Georgia, where she lived with her mother, Olive. This allowed her to remain close to Washington, D.C.

Jeannette visited Montana often for the summer months, where she stayed with her brother Wellington. These visits gave her time at home but also maintained her Montana citizenship. This fact allowed her to run for her second term. All the while, she was highly active in a variety of peace organizations.

Lobbying for Peace

Photo: Jeannette Rankin and Gerald Nye pose holding a Peace Bond

Jeannette Rankin, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Montana (1917-1919 and 1941-1943) and Senator Gerald Nye, from North Dakota, stand by a desk and hold a Peace Bond. This image was found in the records of the National Council for Prevention of War at Swarthmore College. Rankin was the field secretary for the NCPW starting in the late 1920's.

In 1919, Jeannette joined some other famous Progressive American women in France. They attended a convention discussing peace. While in France, these women saw the horrors of war that reaffirmed their beliefs. This convention led to the creation of a permanent organization, called the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). 

In 1925, she was the field secretary for WILPF. She wanted to focus on creating peace groups in smaller states. However, raising the appropriate funds and organizing groups proved challenging. She resigned and went to Georgia to organize the Georgia Peace Society.

Then in 1929, she worked for the Women’s Peace Union (WPU). They wanted to pass the Frazier amendment, which would make war, for any purpose, illegal. Despite the WPU’s efforts, the amendment never made it to the Senate.

For ten years, Jeannette worked for the National Council for the Prevention of War (NCPW). Here, she lobbied for important anti-war legislation. In 1938, she fought for the Ludlow amendment, which would have prevented Congress from declaring war until the majority of states voted in favor. This amendment was discussed by Congress and was narrowly voted down. 

Second term in Congress 1941-1943

Photo: Jeannette Rankin at Avalanche Ranch, Montana

View of Jeannette Rankin wearing a floral dress and a hat standing in front of a house at her brother's ranch, near Avalanche Gulch, Montana. Esther Carlson is on the porch in the background.

Campaigning 

Jeannette again ran for the House of Representatives in 1940. Jeannette saw an opportunity to win again in Montana. Again, her brother Wellington helped financially support her campaign.

Her platform focused on keeping America out of war, framing it as protecting sons and fathers. She spoke of this issue often, and even encouraged high school students to discuss the war with their parents. She also said they could write to their officials if they disapproved of U.S. involvement in the war.

In a speech, Jeannette said: “By voting for me you can express your opposition to sending your sons to foreign lands to fight in a foreign war, and by voting for me you will also express your determination to prepare to the absolute limit to defend this country.” She was elected on November 5, 1940. Jeannette had six other women in the House of Representatives serving beside her.

Voting Against U.S Involvement in War

Once she began her term, she tried to limit the acts that were accelerating U.S. involvement in the war. With both the Lend-Lease Act and the Military Appropriations Bill passed in 1941, she proposed amendments. She believed Congress should limit the President’s power to make sure this legislation could not lead to sending forces overseas. However, her amendments were not added.

The day after the Pearl Harbor attack, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan and their allies. Jeannette, who was on a train to Detroit to give a lecture, turned around immediately when she heard there would be a vote.

Rankin was the sole person to vote no, against the 388 other members of Congress who voted for the U.S. to enter WWII. Forty-one members did not vote; some suggested Jeannette should have been among these members. Most people were outraged by her vote against World War II. She knew that this vote would destroy her politically at the time, yet she stayed true to her ideals of peace. She asserted that she would support defense, but could not support sending fathers and sons overseas to their deaths. This vote decreased her influence for the rest of her term and led to the end of her Congressional career.

Later Life

Photo: Jeannette Rankin in Giza, Egypt

View of Jeannette Rankin on a camel, man to far left, pyramid and sphinx in background.

After her second term in Congress, Jeannette continued to live between Montana and Georgia. She also traveled extensively, including to India, Turkey, Japan, and Egypt.

She continued to work with and support peace organizations. In 1949, she attended a peace conference in India. She made seven trips to India within her lifetime, as she was fascinated by Gandhi and his nonviolent movement. The last time she visited India was when she was ninety. She attended a meeting of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, which she helped found.

In 1968, women organized and called themselves the Jeannette Rankin Brigade. Over 5,000 women, including Jeannette, marched from Union Station to the Capitol Building in protest of the Vietnam War. “It isn’t a question of war against Germany, Japan, or Vietnam . . . war is nothing more than a method of settling a dispute,” Jeannette said in an interview, “Shooting a young man is no way to settle a political dispute.”

Jeannette continued to give lectures and supported young activists who were against the Vietnam War. She also continued to support women’s rights, including advocating for the Equal Rights Amendment. She was active into her nineties, speaking and attending events across the country. Soon, trigeminal neuralgia, a disease she had battled since she was in her 20s, left her unable to speak near the end of her life.  On May 18, 1973, Jeannette Rankin died in her sleep at 93.

Legacy

Photo: Jeannette Rankin Statue at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington D.C.

This statue of Jeannette Rankin is in the U.S. State Capitol Building, was chosen by Montanans to represent the state. There is a copy of this statue in Montana’s Capitol Building in Helena. The paper she holds reads, “When in one hundred years from now courage, sheer courage, based on moral indignation, is celebrated in this country, the name Jeannette Rankin, who stood firm in folly for her faith, will be written in monumental bronze, not for what she did but for the way she did it.” –William Allen White, Emporia Gazette, December 10, 1941.

Jeannette Rankin committed her life to advocating for women’s, children’s, and workers’ rights and to promoting peace. She helped women secure the right to vote and became the U.S.’s first Congresswoman. Jeannette remained involved in peace efforts and politics until her death. She provides an example of a leader who fights for and does not compromise their beliefs.

Author: Rosalyn Visser

Bibliography

Jeannette Rankin. n.d. National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/people/jeannette-rankin.htm.

Rankin, Jeannettte. n.d. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Congress. https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/r000055.

Review of Rankin, Jeannette . n.d. History, Art & Archives. United States House of Representatives. https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/R/RANKIN,-Jeannette-(R000055)/.  

Smith, Norma. 2002. Jeannette Rankin: America’s Conscience. Helena, MT: Montana Historical Society Press. 

Photo Credit

Montana Historical Society Library and Archives