III 111th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 216 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

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.