[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 43 (Tuesday, March 29, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1914-S1920]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REMEMBERING GERALDINE FERRARO
Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
following Senators be permitted to speak for 5 minutes each on the
subject of Geraldine Ferraro: Senators Boxer, Hutchison, Stabenow,
Shaheen, Snowe.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Ms. MIKULSKI. We come to the floor with a heavy heart and great
sadness. Geraldine Ferraro, a former Member of the House of
Representatives, a Congresswoman from New York who was the first woman
to be nominated by a major party for Vice President, has lost her
gallant and persistent fight against cancer and has passed away.
I thank the leadership for offering the resolution noting the many
contributions she made to America and to express condolences to her
family.
For we women, before 1960, Gerry was a force of nature, a powerhouse.
She changed American politics. She changed the way women thought of
themselves and what we believed we could accomplish.
On July 11, 1984, when Walter Mondale called Gerry Ferraro and asked
her to be his Vice Presidential running mate, an amazing thing
happened. They took down the ``men only'' sign on the White House. For
Gerry and all American women, there was no turning back, only going
forward.
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America knows Gerry as a political phenomenon. I knew her as a dear
friend and colleague. We served in the House together in the late
1970s. She left in 1984 to run for Vice President, and I left in 1986
to run for the Senate. We were among the early-bird women in the House
of Representatives. And as early birds, we were not afraid to ruffle
some feathers. We had some good times and passed some good legislation.
It must be historically noted that when Gerry came to the House in
1979, only 16 women were there. In 1984, when she left, we had moved to
23. But in 2011, on the day of her death, 74 women now serve in the
House, 50 Democrats, 24 Republicans, and 26 of those women are women of
color.
In the Congress, Gerry was a fighter. She was a fighter for New York.
She fought for transit, for tunnels. She loved earmarks, earmarks that
would help move her community forward. She also fought for the little
guy and gal. She was known for her attention to constituent services--
the senior getting a Social Security check, the vet who needed his
disability benefits, the kid from a blue-collar neighborhood like
herself who wanted to go to college. And she fought for women. She
fought for our status and she gave us a new stature.
When the campaign was over, she continued for all of her life to be a
source of inspiration and empowerment for women. In those early days of
the second wave of the American women's movement, the movement defined
women on what we did not have, what we did not have access to. What was
it we didn't have? Equal pay for equal work. It is hard to believe we
were not included in research protocols at NIH. And when it came to
having access to credit, we could not get a loan or a mortgage in our
own name in many circumstances. We needed a husband, a father, or a
brother to sign for it. But when Gerry was chosen for Vice President,
she showed us what we could be, what modern women in America had
become. Women felt if we could go for the White House, we could go for
anything. Gerry inspired.
On the night of July 19, 1984, in San Francisco at the Mosconi
Center, Gerry gave her acceptance speech. She became the first woman to
be nominated for Vice President for a major party. What a night. I was
there--the thrill, the excitement in the room, the turbo energy that
was there: 10,000 people jammed the Mosconi Center. Guy delegates gave
their tickets away to alternates, to their daughters, to people who
worked and helped out. They wanted to be there. People brought their
children. They carried them. They put them on their shoulders to see
what was about to occur.
When Gerry Ferraro walked on that stage, she electrified all of us.
The convention gave her a 10-minute standing and resounding ovation. We
couldn't sit down because we knew a barrier had been broken. And for
the rest, as she history, there would be more on the way.
The campaign was hard fought. She traveled over 55,000 miles, visited
85 cities, campaigned her heart out. But it was not meant to be. The
ticket lost to Reagan-Bush. But though she lost the election, she did
not lose her way. Gerry never gave up and never gave in. Her storied
career continued: a teacher at Harvard, a U.N. Ambassador on human
rights, always teaching, always inspiring, always empowering thousands
of women here and around the world.
Then in 1998, she was diagnosed with blood cancer. Once again, she
was determined not to give up and not to give in. She began the
greatest campaign of her life. She began the campaign for her own life.
She fought her cancer. She not only fought her cancer, she also fought
for cancer victims. She forged a relationship with Senator Kay Bailey
Hutchison as well as my friendship. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison will
tell the story herself. Her brother Allan Bailey suffered from the same
disease as Gerry. They met through an advocacy group on multiple
myeloma. Allan Bailey and Gerry Ferraro joined hands and joined
together and Kay Bailey Hutchison and I did, and we introduced the
Gerry Ferraro Research Investment and Education Act. I wanted it to be
Ferraro-Bailey, but Allan graciously said, Gerry is a marquis name. She
will attract a lot of attention, and we can get more money for research
and more interest in this dreaded disease.
That legislation passed. It showed sometimes when we come together
out of common adversity, we find common cause and we get things done.
That bill passed, and it is changing lives.
Gerry did various clinical trials. Often we talked. This is what she
said to me during the last few weeks. She said: I am glad I could be in
those clinical trials. In many ways they helped me live. But we also
knew the research would provide lessons so that others could live. Once
again, her mantra was: Never give up, never give in. She had toughness,
persistence, tenacity, and unfailing optimism in the face of adversity.
I believe it came from her own compelling and often riveting story.
It was that personal story that brought us together. We were both from
European ethnic backgrounds: She Italian, my proud Polish heritage. We
grew up in neighborhoods that were urban villages. Her father owned a
small neighborhood dime store. My father owned a grocery store, and
they were very much involved with their customers and community. We had
strong mothers who wanted to make sure we had good educations. When
Gerry's dad died, Gerry's mother took a job in the garment industry.
She sewed little beads on wedding dresses to make sure her brother and
Gerry had an education. Gerry did have that education. She went to
Marymount. She became a scholarship girl because she was so smart and
had so much talent. She felt it was the nuns who played such a big part
in her life. They coached her to be smart, and they coached her to be a
great debater. They taught her about her faith. For her, her faith was
about the beatitudes, especially the one that said: Hunger and thirst
after justice.
The other day when Gerry and I were talking, she reminded me that not
only did she go to Marymount, but so did Lady Gaga. She said: I am just
sorry I can't live to go to more alumni associations.
Then there was John, her beloved husband, a love story for the ages.
I was there at the church over a year ago when they renewed their vows
for their 50th anniversary. Their vows were not just for a day or for a
year or a decade. They believed their vows were for an eternity. Gerry
loved her husband, and she loved her children Donna, John, and Laura.
She was so proud of them--one a doctor, one an accomplished
businessman, another a TV producer and also worked on Wall Street. And
the grandchildren, there were always the pictures and the stories of
their many storied accomplishments.
Gerry Ferraro loved her family. She loved her extended family. That
went to her friends and her community. She loved America. Because she
believed, as she said to me: Only in America, Barbara, could somebody
who started out in a regular neighborhood, whose father passed away,
leaving a mother who taught her grit and determination, go on to run
for the Vice Presidency of the United States, to be an Ambassador for
human rights, and to make a difference in the lives of her family and
her community.
Gerry, we will miss you, but your legacy will live forever.
Mr. President, I now turn to the Senator from California, Barbara
Boxer, and then to Senator Hutchison.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from California.
Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I am so proud to be here with my
colleagues Senator Mikulski and Kay Bailey Hutchison because of a woman
who brought us all together despite any differences we might have,
Geraldine Ferraro. I rise to pay tribute to Gerry.
I thank Senator Mikulski. Her remarks touched on every single point
that needs to be made about our friend. Gerry was a trailblazer. We all
remember the first female Vice Presidential nominee of a major party,
the first in U.S. history. She cracked open that glass ceiling for
women seeking higher office. It was a long time ago.
I just looked at an Associated Press photo of when Gerry arrived in
San Francisco to prepare for her speech at the convention. I was there
waiting for her to arrive--a much younger version of myself, I might
say. I don't remember what I said or did, but this picture tells a
story. We know the old saying: A picture says a thousand words. This
one says a million words. I have never
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seen anyone as excited as I appear to be and was in this picture. Arms
open wide, body language, just incredulous that we had reached this
milestone, all the while knowing what a tough, tough time it would be
for Gerry, as it is for many women, whether they run for the Senate or
for Governor or for Vice President. It is a tough road still,
especially all these many years ago, more than 20 years.
Gerry was given a very hard time by the press. Gerry was given a very
hard time by her opponent. She proved without question that women can
stand up to the grilling. Women can stand up to the pressure. Women can
go toe to toe with anybody. I often say women are equal. We are not
better or worse. We are equal. Gerry proved it. When her campaign took
a tough turn and a lot of others would have tried to contain the
problem, she stood there in front of the press and said: Here I am. You
ask me anything you want, and I will stay here hour after hour. They
knew she meant it. She would have stayed there for days because that
was Gerry. She was open-hearted. She was straight from the shoulder.
She always said what was on her mind, and she did it in a way that was
also very appealing because you knew this was a woman who was willing
to look you in the eye and not give you any song and dance. It was what
it was. And for that she will be missed as a friend, as a colleague.
It is difficult today to imagine what it was like then. Now we see
our women figures here in the Senate and in the President's Cabinet and
in the Republican and Democratic Parties making a run for President and
Vice President. It is hard to imagine today that women were not
actively engaged in the highest of offices. Frankly, that is Geraldine
Ferraro's abiding legacy because, as Senator Mikulski so eloquently
stated, she did not win that race--it was a tough race; it was a very
tough race--but she proved a woman could do this.
When Gerry spoke about change, she felt in her heart the history-
making moment. I remember her in a white suit, as if it were yesterday.
In those years, TV people always said: Don't wear white. Gerry wore
white.
Ms. MIKULSKI. She was beautiful.
Mrs. BOXER. She was magnificent. And that smile and her
togetherness--at that moment in history, when not only was the whole
country watching, the whole world was watching--it was an electric
moment. I want to read what she said that night. She said:
By choosing a woman to run for our nation's second highest
office, you sent a powerful signal to all Americans. There
are no doors we cannot unlock. We will place no limits on
[our] achievements.
If we can do this, we can do anything.
And those words resonated not just with people who were interested in
politics but with women who were in the corporate world; women who were
going to law school--just a few in those years, now so many more; women
who just dreamed of going into health care, not as a nurse, although
some chose that--and some men do as well--but as physicians. This was
something I truly believe changed.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent for 5 additional minutes, and
then turn it over to Senator Hutchison.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. It is
going to run us way past the recess time.
Mrs. BOXER. Well, Mr. President, there was only one Gerry Ferraro, so
I would go 5 minutes and turn it over to Senator Hutchison for as long
as she would want.
After graduation from college, Gerry got a job as a second grade
teacher at a public school in Queens. She applied to Fordham Law
School. That is the law school my husband went to. She was accepted
into the night program, despite a warning--listen to this--from an
admissions officer that she might be taking a man's place. She got into
law school. She was one of 2 women in a class of 179. Imagine, they
said to her: You will be taking a man's place in law school. She
persevered--one of just 2 women out of 179 students graduating in 1960.
Yes, she raised her family. She adored her family. There was not a
second that went by without her saying to one of us, anywhere in
earshot: I have to tell you about Laura, I have to tell you about John,
I have to tell you about what my kids are doing.
Did my colleague want to ask a question?
Mr. DURBIN. I ask if the Senator from California will yield for a
brief statement.
Mrs. BOXER. As long as it will not interrupt my statement.
Mr. DURBIN. I will have a longer statement for the Record because I
know Senator Hutchison is waiting, but I want to make one or two
comments about Geraldine Ferraro.
Mrs. BOXER. Yes.
Mr. DURBIN. First, my image of Geraldine Ferraro is this young
Congresswoman from California, with her arms outstretched, as you raced
toward one another in an iconic photograph of the two of you after she
won the Vice Presidential nomination. I will remember you and her in
that context forever. Second, it was my honor to serve with her in the
House and to count her as a friend. Third, in this long, long battle
she had, this medical battle, she never failed to remind all of us that
she was indeed one of the fortunate ones who had the resources to be
able to fight the battle, where many people did not.
I am going to miss Geraldine Ferraro. She was a great American.
Mrs. BOXER. I am very glad the Senator made that statement, and I
appreciate it very much.
When Gerry worked as an assistant district attorney, she formed a
Special Victims Bureau. She investigated rape, child and women abuse,
and abuse against the elderly at a time when no one was talking about
it.
She was elected to Congress. Senator Mikulski has gone into that, the
work on the Economic Equity Act. I was proud to work with both Senator
Mikulski and Gerry Ferraro on that and Senator Snowe and others.
I remember Senator Mikulski, Olympia Snowe, Gerry Ferraro, and
myself--we worked to open the House gym to women. It was a battle. We
had to resort to singing and everything else. We finally got into the
House gym. We said, yes, women need to work out too. That is the way it
was then. We only had 24 women in the House and Senate. Now we have 88
of us.
I will skip over her time as a broadcaster and all the things she did
that Senator Mikulski talked about--her work in women's rights--but I
wish to conclude with her brave spirit as she faced multiple myeloma,
the bone cancer that ultimately took her life. I wish to do it in this
context.
I have a good friend now, whose name is Robin, and her mother is
battling the same kind of cancer Gerry was battling. As we know, Gerry
was given 4 or 5 years and went on, thank God, for much longer.
This woman lives far away from her daughter Robin. When Gerry passed,
she called her daughter and said: I need to see you. Will you come out
and stay with me, as I battle this cancer?
Robin said: Well, what is it, mom? You are doing great.
She said: We just lost Gerry, and she was the one who kept my heart
and soul together and my spirits up, and I knew she was there battling.
Now that I have lost her, I don't know, I feel a hole, I am empty.
That is just the most eloquent thing I could say about Gerry. This
woman never met Geraldine Ferraro in person, but Gerry had that way
about her that she could reach you as if she was touching you. It is a
tremendous loss, first and foremost for the family, whom she adored
beyond words, and, secondly, for all the rest of us who just need
someone like that out there standing up and being brave and telling it
like it is and never giving up.
Mr. President, I am so honored I could be here with my colleagues,
and I am proud to yield to Senator Hutchison for as much time as she
needs.
Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I say to Senator Hutchison, the time is
allocated as 5 minutes, but I know you want to speak and were a very
dear friend. Please proceed.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.
Mrs. HUTCHISON. I thank Senator Mikulski and Senator Boxer.
Mr. President, I do want to talk about this remarkable woman because
I think, as has been mentioned before, her loss is being felt
throughout America for many different reasons. She was a trailblazer,
and she was one of the great female role models of her generation.
I wrote a book in 2004 called ``American Heroines: The Spirited Women
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Who Shaped Our Country.'' It was to profile the women who were the
earliest trailblazers in different fields--education, sports, politics,
journalism. Then I interviewed contemporary women who were still
breaking barriers in those fields.
In the public service chapter, I profiled Margaret Chase Smith
because she was the longest serving woman elected to the Senate in her
own right at the time and she was a true trailblazer. I then
interviewed Sandra Day O'Connor, our first woman Supreme Court Justice,
and Geraldine Ferraro, our first woman nominee for Vice President of a
major party.
I asked Gerry Ferraro in my interview with her: What was your most
important trait for success?
And she said:
I think the ability to work hard and, if something doesn't
work, to learn from the mistake and move on. That's what's
happened with my own life. It goes to the personal side from
watching my mother, who moved on after becoming a widow with
two kids to support. She was thirty-nine years old. . . .
Then I watched her move on and do whatever was necessary to
get the job of educating her children done. I'm exactly the
same way. I'll do whatever is necessary to get the job done,
whatever it is. And then if I do something that doesn't work,
then I go to the next goal.
I asked her what was her biggest obstacle. She almost laughed. She
said:
I'm sixty-eight. The obstacles in my life have changed with
time. An obstacle when I was a kid was being in a boarding
school away from my mother because my father had died. I had
no choice. It wasn't like the boarding schools or the prep
schools of today. I was in a semicloistered convent. It was
lonely, and I had to work hard. I wanted to go to college,
but we didn't have the money for college, so I knew I had to
get top marks in order to get scholarships. That was my
obstacle then.
Money was always an obstacle when I was a kid. I taught
when I went to law school at night, because I couldn't afford
to go during the day. When I applied [for law school], they
would say things like, ``Gerry, are you serious, because
you're taking a man's place,'' you know. . . .
And then [after getting out of law school]--
As was mentioned earlier, she was one of only two women in her
class--
I was faced with the challenge of trying to find a job. I
interviewed at five law firms. I was in the top ten percent
of my class.
But she did not get a job offer. Well, I related to that because I
graduated from law school, after her, in 1967, and law firms in Texas
did not hire women then either. So I know how she felt as she went
through obstacles and obstacles and obstacles. But she said: In the
end, ``each thing was an obstacle that I had to get by'' at the time.
But she didn't have too many obstacles because she just picked herself
up and kept right on going. She truly was an inspiration and a
trailblazer for women of our time.
Throughout her life as a public school teacher, as an assistant
district attorney, as a Congresswoman, and as a candidate for Vice
President, Gerry Ferraro fought for the causes that were important to
her. When she learned she had multiple myeloma, a somewhat rare blood
disease that is incurable, she drew upon that same fighting spirit. As
she waged the battle with her own disease, Gerry stepped into the
spotlight because she knew if she talked about it, with her high
profile, she could bring help to others.
Her testimony before Congress was instrumental in the passage of a
bill that Senator Mikulski, who is on the floor leading this effort
today, and I cosponsored together in 2001 and 2002. Our legislation
gave the research community the tools they need to discover what
triggers these deadly blood diseases, to devise better treatments, and
to work toward a cure. In our bill, Barbara and I decided to name the
Geraldine Ferraro Blood Cancer Education Program for Gerry Ferraro to
raise awareness and spread the lifesaving information about myeloma,
leukemia, and other forms of blood cancer. Gerry Ferraro was on the
floor of the House when her bill--our bill--passed the House of
Representatives on April 30, 2002. Her daughter was in the gallery with
my staffer, and there was so much joy in her eyes and her demeanor.
But then Gerry Ferraro went about the business of fashioning the
education program. She consulted with the doctors at Harvard, at Dana-
Farber, with Dr. Ken Anderson, her doctor. She consulted with him
because she wanted an interactive Web site because she knew that
doctors all over the country were searching for information on the
treatment of this disease because they were so unaware at the time of
what you could do to help patients.
Well, this is personal to me because my brother Allan also has
multiple myeloma, and I got involved in this because I watched him
bravely fight like Gerry Ferraro was doing. And my brother is a great
patient. He is tough like Gerry. He is fighting like Gerry. And he is
doing really well. But we knew how hard it was because we watched Allan
fight this disease and take many of the same drugs and have the same
doctor consultations as Gerry. So Gerry and Allan knew each other and
traded information, and the patients with these diseases do that. They
reach out, they help each other because they know it is the person with
the experience who knows how you feel when you just don't feel as
though you can get up in the morning. People such as Kathy Giusti, who
was also a good friend of Gerry Ferraro's, and Ken Anderson, they
traded information, and it helped all of them to know they had that
kind of support.
So she was an inspiration. Her dignity and grace in fighting multiple
myeloma will be one of the trademarks in her life, along with the other
great trailblazing she has done.
Just last month, the women of the Senate pulled together to return
the encouragement. We knew Gerry was having a hard time, and we took a
picture of the women of the Senate, we all signed it around the edges
and we sent it to her, saying: Thanks for being our champion. Thanks
for all you do for the women of our country.
Gerry was not just a champion for women running for public office,
she was a champion for women to succeed in every field, in every
sector. She took the first powerful swing at the glass ceiling. She
will not be here to see the woman President who is sworn into office,
who will finish the breaking of that glass ceiling. But we will all be
standing on the shoulders of Gerry Ferraro, and certainly that first
woman President will as well, because she took those first steps, such
as so many of the early trailblazers in all the different sectors. The
first ones don't see their success, but what they do by showing the
dignity and the courage and the tenacity and the grace does prepare the
way for the next generation or the next woman to move to the next
level, and that is what Gerry Ferraro has done for all the women of our
country.
I will always remember her friendship. I appreciate her leadership.
We will all miss her on a personal level, but we will always remember
in the bigger picture what she did for this country.
Thank you, Mr. President. I thank Senator Mikulski. I yield the
floor.
Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I yield the floor to Senator Snowe.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine.
Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to join with my good friends
and esteemed colleagues, Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland and
Senator Barbara Boxer of California, as we honor a compatriot of ours
from the House of Representatives, an electoral trailblazer, and
political torchbearer--the incomparable and courageous, Geraldine
Ferraro, who passed away last Saturday after a brave and resilient 12-
year battle with cancer.
As this august body will hear many times over, Geraldine was a
pioneering champion and a dynamic force for women and women's rights, a
stalwart legislator and colleague of all three of ours in the U.S.
House of Representatives, and always a dear friend through more than
three decades. As America's first female Vice-Presidential nominee for
a major party, Geraldine has forever secured a legendary position along
the timeline of American political history, as Walter Mondale selected
her as his running mate in the 1984 Presidential election.
(Ms. MIKULSKI assumed the Chair.)
While America was learning about Geraldine on the national stage,
Barbara Mikulski, Barbara Boxer, and I knew her as a legislative,
sister-in-arms, if you will, as all of us served together in the U.S.
House of Representatives. Geraldine and I were members of the same
House freshman class that began service in January 1979 that brought
the total number of women in the 96th Congress in the House to 16.
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And all four of us fought for myriad causes, most especially those
affecting America's women. Looking back, I take enormous pride, as I
know both Senators Mikulski and Boxer do, that we spoke as women first,
not as Republicans or Democrats, that women's issues transcended
partisan lines for us. The fact was, we just couldn't afford to draw
partisan lines with women underrepresented in Congress. And that idea
is what drove our agenda at the bipartisan Congressional Caucus for
Women's Issues, which I cochaired for over 10 years in the House of
Representatives and where Geraldine Ferarro was also at the vanguard in
amplifying issues for literally generations of women.
Our adherence to working together--and to the ideal of principle over
politics--became our foundation. We determined if we didn't act, who
would? And we started to make a difference for women, and not a moment
too soon. Indeed, there was indeed a time in America when our laws
specifically worked against women, when economic equality pertained
only to economic equality among men--not women, when our laws didn't
reflect the changing, dual responsibilities of women who were
increasingly working as well as caring for a family.
Well, we weren't going to accept the status quo any longer, and
certainly Geraldine was not one to ever countenance the notion of
``that's just the way it is.'' To the contrary. We confronted these
disparities for women head on and introduced a package of laws that
opened the doors of economic opportunity for the women of America by
revising laws and giving women the tools required to succeed. That
package was the multifaceted Economic Equity Act. Among a litany of
provisions, we called for a study of the government's pay practices,
sought to ensure equal credit for women in business ventures, and
battled with Geraldine Ferraro who led the effort to end pension award
discrimination against women who were discovering upon their husband's
death that, unbeknownst to them, they had been left with absolutely no
pension benefits.
And in a group of women legislators that was not, shall we say,
comprised of shrinking violets, no one gave greater voice to these
issues, no one demonstrated more passion in their advocacy, and no one
pressed for remedies to right these wrongs with more verve or skill
than Geraldine Ferraro. She was a bulwark against injustice and a
cherished champion for fairness in an America where women were
increasing their roles in American life and their presence in the U.S.
workplace and economy.
On a personal note, I can't help but think that part of our mutual
bond was that we came from similar backgrounds. Our families immigrated
to this great land--hers from Italy and mine from Greece. Our heritages
spoke to the very best of our Nation's mosaic and the American dream
where anything is possible and the only limits you have are those you
place on yourself. Indeed, the New York Times mentions how Geraldine's
mother crocheted beads on wedding dresses to send her to the best
schools. My Aunt Mary worked the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. night shift at a
textile mill in Lewiston, ME, to earn money to ensure my cousins and I
received a good education. Although Geraldine and I didn't agree on
everything, we shared an unequivocal determination to make a lasting
difference on issues for women and working families--an unerring focus
that surmounted politics and party labels.
Not surprisingly, more than 30 years later, Geraldine's legacy lives
on through the 74 women serving the other body today, as well as the 17
women currently serving in the Senate. How fitting it is that on the
Monday after she passed away, my 16 Senate women colleagues and I
submitted a resolution advocating for women's rights in North Africa
and the Middle East. We have the moral high ground in that clarion call
in no small part because of Geraldine's historic leadership and legacy.
In closing, I can't help but recall the great Lady Astor, who was the
first woman to ever serve in the British House of Parliament. In fact,
on the day she took her seat in that distinguished body, a Member of
Parliament turned to her and said, ``Welcome to the most exclusive
men's club in Europe.'' Demonstrating the kind of moxie and sense of
obligation that were hallmarks of America's Geraldine Ferraro, Lady
Astor responded ``it won't be exclusive for long.'' she said. ``When I
came in, I left the door wide open!''
Geraldine Ferraro espoused and exemplified what Lady Astor so
memorably articulated--that it is not enough to break old barriers and
chart a new course, you have to ensure that others are able to traverse
it as well. Geraldine spent a lifetime making certain that the path she
helped pave was available and accessible to every woman with the
courage and will to travel it. And so, today, it is a privilege for me
to extol this remarkable woman whose indelible imprint upon the
political and public policy arenas will be felt for generations to
come.
At this most difficult of times, our thoughts and prayers remain with
her husband of 50 years, John--as well as their children, Donna, John
Jr., and Laura and Geraldine's grandchildren. May they be comforted by
the knowledge that so many share in their profound sense of loss, as
well as the memory of a trailblazing woman who, above all else, was an
adoring and beloved mother and grandmother who leaves an indelible mark
upon her family, as well as an entire Nation.
Thank you, Madam President.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Hampshire.
Mrs. SHAHEEN. Madam President, I know we are about to recess, but I
wish to take a minute or two to add my voice to all the women in the
Senate who have been here today and thank the Presiding Officer for her
leadership for encouraging us to honor Geraldine Ferraro.
I remember being on the floor of the 1984 Democratic Convention when
she gave her acceptance speech for the Vice President of the United
States, and it was electric listening to her. It epitomized for me, and
I am sure every woman there, the fact that women could do anything.
Geraldine Ferraro worked tirelessly on behalf of human rights and
women's rights around the globe. She dedicated her public service to
the ideals of respect and equality and she lived a career that called
on all women to challenge the glass ceilings of the world. I think it
is particularly important because just because one woman breaks the
glass ceiling doesn't mean opportunities are open to every woman, and
she understood that and continued to encourage all the ceilings across
the world to be broken for women.
Gerry's life was a powerful example for all of us who are honoring
her today and for our daughters and granddaughters. We thank her for
leading the way. She will be missed.
Thank you. I yield the floor.
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Madam President, I rise today to reflect on the life
and legacy of Geraldine Ferraro who lost her heroic battle with cancer
on Saturday.
Geraldine Ferraro was first elected to public office in 1978 to
represent Queens in the U.S. House of Representatives.
As a member of the Public Works and Transportation Committee, she
pushed to improve mass transit around La Guardia Airport.
Later, she would cosponsor the Economic Equity Act, which was
intended to accomplish many of the aims of the never-ratified equal
rights amendment.
In 1984, former Vice President and a distinguished Member of this
body, Walter Mondale, chose Gerry to join him as his Vice Presidential
running mate, the first woman to be placed on a national ticket.
I was privileged to serve as the mayor of San Francisco in 1984 where
the Democratic Party held its convention that election year.
Twenty-seven years later, as I look back on that time, I realize what
an important and historical moment her selection was to American
politics.
I recall the emotion and enthusiasm of people--men and women--at the
Moscone Center in San Francisco when Gerry took the podium.
Sixty-four years after women won the right to vote, Geraldine Ferraro
represented a new beginning for our politics. It was an amazing
feeling.
While the election didn't go the Democrats' way that year, Gerry's
selection was a victory for a generation
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of young women who saw that anything is possible and no position in
government has a ``men only'' sign on the door.
As the first Vice Presidential nominee of a major party, she not only
put a crack in the glass ceiling that year, she demonstrated the
dedication and the competence of women in the political arena.
I didn't know her well, but I do know her experiences well.
I know how tough it was as a woman running for political office--only
to find out everyone else was discussing the style of your outfit.
I know how tough it was to be one of the first elected officials to
speak using phrases like, ``As a mother,'' or ``If I were pregnant . .
.''
I know how tough it was as a woman debating men in political debates
and then when it was over, debating a dozen reporters.
I know how tough it was as a woman who fought and won for change to
live to see other women make a dozen other cracks in that glass
ceiling.
But the same ideals Geraldine Ferraro fought for during her public
life are the same ideals we fight for today.
It would be another 24 years after that night in San Francisco before
another woman from a major party was nominated for Vice President.
And even though Hillary Rodham Clinton came close to being nominated
in 2008 as the Democratic Presidential candidate, a woman has yet to
occupy the Oval Office.
There are only 16 other women besides myself serving in the U.S.
Senate. In the 435 Member House, just 71 are women. And just six States
have women Governors.
Despite these statistics today, Geraldine Ferraro's career and
example gave women across the country hope and heart.
At the time when Gerry Ferraro and I were in office, people had
reservations about women in office. So the press pushed you further and
further--just to see how smart you were or how you would react.
When I was mayor, I had to do more homework than my counterparts; I
had to be prepared for every possible question--more questions and
detail than my counterparts.
There was a judgment that women were not effective. But that judgment
of effectiveness has changed.
It took some time, but women in office have shown we are capable of
offering legislation, working to pass it, and being just as effective
as our male counterparts.
Geraldine Ferraro gave it her all. She gave women everywhere an
example of determination. She continued that drive when she supported
other women in national office.
And she will continue to give us all hope and heart for decades to
come in her place in history.
Ms. CANTWELL. Madam President, I rise today to honor the life,
achievements, and legacy of Geraldine Anne Ferraro, who paved the way
for aspiring women leaders and politicians across the Nation and the
world to reach the highest positions of power.
Geraldine dedicated her life to defending women's and children's
rights and helping the less fortunate, whether in public service, as an
attorney, as a Congresswoman, or as Ambassador to the United Nations
Commission on Human Rights. Her career was a turning point for women in
politics, and an inspiration for women everywhere.
In the early 1950s, when women were not expected to attend college,
Geraldine was already breaking through the ``glass ceiling.'' The
daughter of Italian immigrants, she worked her way through college and
in 1956 became the first woman in her family to receive a college
degree. In 1960, she graduated with honors from law school, where she
was one of only 2 women in her graduating class of 179 students. She
became a strong advocate for abused women and for the poor while
serving as assistant district attorney for Queens County, NY, where she
headed a new bureau that prosecuted sex crimes, child abuse, and
domestic violence.
Her passion to change America for the better took her all the way to
the U.S. Congress, where she fought for equal pay, pensions, and
retirement plans for women. She was also a leader on environmental
issues. In 1984, she led passage of a Superfund renewal bill and called
for improvements in the handling of environmental site cleanups.
Geraldine will be remembered not only as a pioneer for women's and
children's rights but for human rights around the world. As the U.S.
Ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Geraldine
supported the Commission's decision to condemn anti-Semitism as a human
rights violation. And in 1995, she led the U.S. delegation in the
historic Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing.
But what Geraldine will forever be remembered for is that she made
possible what was previously unthinkable, that a woman could be a
candidate for Vice President of the United States. When former Vice
President and Presidential candidate Walter Mondale selected Geraldine
Ferraro to be his running mate in 1984, she became the only Italian
American to be a major-party national nominee as well as the first
woman.
In 1984, Geraldine fought a tough race, venturing into unchartered
territory and blazing a trail. Even though Geraldine lost that race,
she went where no woman had ever been before, teaching us that ``when
women run, women win.''
A tireless champion for women in the political arena, Geraldine
helped women politicians gain a stronger voice and run for public
office. It is because of Geraldine that women today, including myself,
can go even farther than before. Generations of female politicians will
forever stand on her shoulders.
Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, an incredible woman died this week after
a long and hard-fought battle with cancer.
Geraldine Ferraro led a trailblazing life, constantly achieving and
proving the naysayers wrong.
She was one of two women in her graduating class from Fordham law
school, taking night classes after teaching all day.
She was an attorney in a male-dominated New York District Attorney's
Office.
She was the first woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 9th District in Queens--a district that most people
assumed would not elect her, not because she was a woman but because
she was a Democrat.
If she had done nothing more, Gerry Ferraro would have earned her
place in history.
But then, on July 11, 1984, just 64 years after American women won
the right to vote, Geraldine Ferraro agreed to be Walter Mondale's
running mate in his race for the White House--the first time in history
that a woman had ever run on the Presidential ticket of a major
political party.
``I didn't pause for a minute'' she later wrote.
It's hard for many people today, particularly young people, to
understand what a revolutionary act it was for Geraldine Ferraro to
agree to break that barrier. Less than 20 years earlier, want ads in
American newspapers were still segregated into ``men's jobs'' and
``women's jobs''--and believe me, Vice President of the United States
was not listed under ``women's work.''
As a result of Gerry Ferraro's courage, the doors of opportunity
swung open for millions of women--not just in politics, but in every
profession.
She said often that ``[c]ampaigns, even if you lose them, do serve a
purpose . . . [the] days of discrimination are numbered.'' She was
right.
For the last 12 years of her life, Gerry Ferraro fought a terrible
blood cancer called myeloma. Once again, she was a pioneer, using a new
drug which enabled her to live well beyond her physicians' initial
estimate.
Each injection cost over $1,000 and she went to twice weekly
treatments. She was always aware that she was fortunate to be able to
afford those life-extending treatments. Even when times were the worst,
Gerry Ferraro was an eloquent and energetic advocate for more funding
for cancer research, and for help for the 50,000 Americans who are
living with cancer and can't afford the treatments for their illness.
Gerry's mother taught her the first lessons about being a strong and
independent woman.
When Geraldine was just 8 years old, her father died. She saw her
widowed,
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immigrant mother work long hours as a seamstress so that she could
afford to send her children to good schools. She was living proof for
Gerry that, with hard work, you can make a good life for your children
in America. She never forgot what her mother did for her and kept her
maiden name after she married as a sign of respect.
Gerry Ferraro was a true egalitarian. When she learned that because
she was married she was paid less than male attorneys, she quit and ran
for Congress. She fought for the equal rights amendment and cosponsored
the Economic Equity Act to end pension inequality.
President Clinton appointed her to the United Nations Commission on
Human Rights, and later the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
Commission on Human Rights.
I had the opportunity to serve with Gerry in the House of
Representatives in a very difficult time, and I am honored to have
called her my friend. I offer my deepest condolences to her husband
John, her children Donna, Laura and John Jr., and her eight
grandchildren. Geraldine's passing is a deep loss for so many people,
but her hard work and accomplishments will continue to live.
Mr. REID. Madam President, America's favorite people are pioneers. We
are a nation that celebrates those who first touched the moon,
discovered the technologies that changed the world, and fought for what
is right before everyone else.
We believe in the brave and admire those who believe in their own
dreams--those who pursue them fearlessly, who leave a trail for the
rest of us to follow and a legacy to emulate.
This week, America honors a woman we will always remember for
breaking one of the highest glass ceilings in history. For two
centuries, in election after election, Americans went into voting
booths and saw lots of Williams and Johns and Jameses on the ballot.
Then, in 1984, they saw the name Geraldine.
As the first woman on a major Presidential ticket, Geraldine Ferraro
continued America's proud pioneer tradition. It wasn't the first time
she led the way. Congresswoman Ferraro worked her way through law
school at a time when few women did so. When the people of Queens, NY,
elected her to the House of Representatives she was 1 of only 16 women
Members. There was only one at the time serving in the Senate. Today
there are 76 women serving in the House--one of whom was the first
woman Speaker of the House--and 17 in the Senate.
I served in the House of Representatives with Congresswoman Ferraro
and am deeply saddened by her death. She was an inspiration to my
daughter and nine granddaughters, and to all of us who believe in our
Nation's eternal pursuit of equality. On behalf of the people of
Nevada--a State settled, built, and strengthen by pioneers--I honor the
memory of my friend, Geraldine Ferraro.
____________________