[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5566]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF WOMEN IN CONGRESS

                                  _____
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 4, 2017

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
celebrate 100 years of women in Congress. Representative Jeannette 
Rankin of Montana was the first woman to serve in U.S. Congress in 
1916. Rankin was on the frontlines of the national suffrage fight and 
advocated relentlessly for the creation of a Committee on Woman 
Suffrage, serving on that committee once it was created. Casting an 
``aye'' vote for the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, 
Rankin was the only woman who ever voted to give women the right to 
vote.
  Rankin is just one of many shining examples of women knocking down 
barriers. I believe the history of outstanding women and many others 
should be shared with all Americans to uplift and inspire them. I would 
like to share several outstanding women from Texas who have been 
several ``firsts,'' but certainly not ``lasts'' of their time.
  Lera Millard Thomas was the first woman elected to Congress from the 
state of Texas. When her husband died in February of 1966, a special 
election was called in March and she was elected as a Democrat to 
succeed her husband. Thomas served on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries 
Committee where she helped to expand the Houston Ship Channel, one of 
the country's busiest seaports. She chose not to run for reelection and 
instead dedicated her time to members of the armed services in Vietnam 
as a special liaison to the Houston Chronicle.
  Barbara Jordan was the first black woman elected to Congress and the 
first woman to represent Texas in her own right in the House of 
Representatives. Jordan was the first black woman to serve in the Texas 
State Senate and stayed there for eight years. Elected to the House in 
1972, she served until 1979 and gained national praise for her 
legislative prowess and for her rhetoric and high morals. After 
retirement, Jordan returned to her former profession of teaching.
  Unfortunately, in Texas, the number of women in Congress is 
historically very low. Currently, there are three women members; 
myself, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, and Congresswoman Kay 
Granger. In the Senate, former Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison was the 
first and only woman to represent Texas. In 2017, this is unacceptable. 
When Jeannette Rankin said that she would not be the last woman in 
Congress, I believe that she imagined a Congress much different from 
this one, a Congress that mirrored our society.

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