[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 107 (Thursday, July 16, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S7653]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE RESOLUTION 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

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

                              S. Res. 216

       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 fully 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.

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