[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 216 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 216

Acknowledging the 25th anniversary of the nomination of Representative 
 Geraldine A. Ferraro as the first woman selected by a major political 
           party to run for the Office of the Vice President.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 16, 2009

Mrs. Gillibrand (for herself and Ms. Mikulski) submitted the following 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Acknowledging the 25th anniversary of the nomination of Representative 
 Geraldine A. Ferraro as the first woman selected by a major political 
           party to run for the Office of the Vice President.

Whereas, July 19, 2009, marks the 25th anniversary of the date Geraldine A. 
        Ferraro accepted the nomination of the Democratic Party to run for the 
        Office of the Vice President of the United States;
Whereas Geraldine A. Ferraro graduated from Fordham University School of Law at 
        a time when very few women attended law school;
Whereas Geraldine A. Ferraro joined the Queens County District Attorney's 
        Office, where she supervised the prosecution of violent crimes including 
        child and domestic abuse;
Whereas in 1978, Geraldine A. Ferraro was elected to serve the Ninth 
        Congressional District of New York in the United States House of 
        Representatives, where she was 1 of only 16 women;
Whereas the colleagues of Geraldine A. Ferraro in the House of Representatives 
        rewarded her legislative and political talents by electing her to serve 
        as Secretary of the House Democratic Caucus, a key leadership position;
Whereas in 1984, the leadership of Geraldine A. Ferraro was confirmed when she 
        became the first woman to serve as Chairwoman of the Platform Committee 
        for the Democratic National Convention;
Whereas the legislative achievements of Geraldine A. Ferraro include sponsorship 
        of the Women's Economic Equity Act, landmark legislation to end pension 
        discrimination and provide increased job training and opportunities for 
        women re-entering the workforce;
Whereas Geraldine A. Ferraro became the first woman to run for national office 
        for either major political party when she was nominated as the running 
        mate of Walter F. Mondale in the 1984 Presidential race;
Whereas the nomination of Geraldine A. Ferraro also marked the first and only 
        time an Italian-American has been nominated as a major-party candidate 
        in a national election;
Whereas the Vice Presidential candidacy of Geraldine A. Ferraro continued the 
        progress begun by women who achieved political firsts before her, 
        including--

    (1) Jeanette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress;

    (2) Margaret Chase Smith, the first woman elected to the Senate;

    (3) Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first Asian-American woman elected to 
Congress; and

    (4) Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman elected to 
Congress;

Whereas the candidacy of Geraldine A. Ferraro helped tear down barriers that had 
        prevented women from fullly and equally participating in national 
        politics;
Whereas in 1984, 2 women served in the United States Senate, and 22 women served 
        in the United States House of Representatives;
Whereas in the 111th Congress, 17 women serve in the United States Senate, and 
        75 women serve in the United States House of Representatives, including 
        Representative Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to serve as Speaker of the 
        House;
Whereas in January 1993, President William Jefferson Clinton appointed Geraldine 
        A. Ferraro to serve as United States Ambassador to the United Nations 
        Commission on Human Rights, a role she used to champion the rights of 
        women around the world;
Whereas in 2008, people of the United States watched historic barriers fall with 
        a Presidential campaign that featured historic candidacies in both 
        parties and culminated in the election of the first African-American 
        President; and
Whereas the Vice Presidential candidacy of Geraldine A. Ferraro helped daughters 
        join sons in believing they can achieve anything: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes that the Vice Presidential candidacy of 
        Geraldine A. Ferraro forever enriched the American political 
        landscape and forged a new path for women of the United States;
            (2) congratulates Geraldine A. Ferraro on the 25th 
        anniversary of the acceptance of her nomination;
            (3) pays tribute to the efforts of Geraldine A. Ferraro to 
        improve the lives of women and families in the Ninth 
        Congressional District of New York, which she represented so 
        well, and across the United States; and
            (4) appreciates the life story of Geraldine A. Ferraro, a 
        daughter of immigrants who studied hard to become a teacher and 
        later a prosecuting attorney, a wife and mother who has fought 
        to create a more just world, and a Congresswoman and Vice 
        Presidential candidate who inspired a generation of women to 
        run for public office.
                                 <all>