Jeannette Rankin
Jeannette Rankin | |
---|---|
Carl Riddick (2nd district) | |
Constituency | At-large district |
Personal details | |
Born | Jeannette Pickering Rankin June 11, 1880 |
Jeannette Pickering Rankin (June 11, 1880 – May 18, 1973) was an American politician and
Each of Rankin's congressional terms coincided with the initiation of U.S. military intervention in one of the two
A
Early life
Rankin was born on June 11, 1880, near
As an adolescent on her family ranch, Rankin had many tasks, including cleaning, sewing, farm chores, outdoor work, and helping care for her younger siblings. She helped maintain the ranch machinery and once single-handedly built a wooden sidewalk for a building her father owned so it could be rented.[6] Rankin later recorded her childhood observation that while women of the 1890s western frontier labored side by side as equals with men, they did not have an equal political voice—nor a legal right to vote.[7]
Rankin graduated from high school in 1898. She studied at the University of Montana and, in 1902, received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. Before her political and advocacy career, she explored a variety of careers, including dressmaking, furniture design, and teaching.[7][8] After her father died in 1904, Rankin took on the responsibility of caring for her younger siblings.[9]
Activism and suffrage movement
At the age of 27, Rankin moved to San Francisco to take a job in social work, a new and developing field.
Rankin returned to Montana and rose through the ranks of suffrage organizations, becoming the president of the Montana Women's Suffrage Association and the national field secretary of NAWSA.[14] In February 1911, she became the first woman to speak before the Montana legislature, arguing in support of enfranchisement for women in her home state.[15] In November 1914, Montana became the seventh state to grant women unrestricted voting rights.[3][16] Rankin coordinated the efforts of a variety of grassroots organizations to promote her suffrage campaigns in New York and Montana (and later in North Dakota as well).[13] Later, she would draw from the same grassroots infrastructure during her 1916 congressional campaign.[17]
Rankin later compared her work in the women's suffrage movement to promoting the pacifist
House of Representatives
First congressional term
Rankin's campaign for one of Montana's two
In the Republican primary, Rankin received the most votes of the eight Republican candidates.[19] In the at-large general election on November 7, the top two vote-getters won the seats. Rankin finished second in the voting, defeating Frank Bird Linderman, among others, to become the first woman elected to Congress.[7][20][b] During her victory speech, she said, "I am deeply conscious of the responsibility resting upon me" as the only woman in the nation with voting power in Congress.[3] Her election generated considerable nationwide interest, including, reportedly, several marriage proposals.[21]
Shortly after her term began, Congress was called into an extraordinary April session in response to Germany declaring unrestricted submarine warfare on all Atlantic shipping.
Rankin used her office to push for better working conditions for laborers.[26] On June 8, 1917, the Speculator Mine disaster in Butte left 168 miners dead. Workers called a massive protest strike over working conditions. Rankin tried to intervene, but mining companies refused to meet with her or the miners, and her proposed legislation to end the strike was unsuccessful.[15] She had greater success pushing for better working conditions in the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Rankin listened to the grievances of federal workers in the bureau, which included long hours and an excessively demanding work pace. She hired investigative reporter Elizabeth Watson to investigate. As a result of her efforts to draw attention to the working conditions of the bureau, Treasury Secretary William McAdoo convened his own investigation and ultimately limited the work day to eight hours.[26]
By 1917, women had been granted some form of voting rights in about forty states. Rankin continued to lead the movement for unrestricted universal enfranchisement. She was instrumental in the creation of the Committee on Woman Suffrage and became one of its founding members.[3] In January 1918, the committee delivered its report to Congress,[27] and Rankin opened congressional debate on a Constitutional amendment granting universal suffrage to women. The resolution passed in the House but was defeated by the Senate. The following year—after Rankin's congressional term had ended—the same resolution passed both chambers.[c] After ratification by three-fourths of the states, it became the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.[28]
During Rankin's term, Montana's state legislature voted to replace the state's two at-large Congressional seats with two single-member districts.
Between terms
After leaving Congress, Rankin worked as a field secretary for the
In 1924, Rankin bought a small farm in Georgia. She lived a simple life there, without electricity or plumbing,[32] although she also maintained a residence in Montana.[33] Rankin made frequent speeches around the country on behalf of the Women's Peace Union and the National Council for the Prevention of War (NCPW). In 1928 she founded the Georgia Peace Society, which served as headquarters for her pacifism campaign until its dissolution in 1941, on the eve of the U.S. involvement in World War II.[7]
In 1937, Rankin opposed President Franklin Roosevelt's proposals to intervene on the British side against Germany and its allies, arguing that both sides wished to avoid a second European war and would pursue a diplomatic solution. She testified before multiple Congressional committees in opposition to various preparedness measures. When it became clear that her lobbying efforts were largely ineffective, Rankin resigned from her NCPW position and declared her intention to regain her seat in the House of Representatives.[33]
Second congressional term
Rankin began her campaign for Congress in 1939 with a tour of high schools in Montana. She arranged to speak in 52 of the First Congressional District's 56 high schools to reestablish her ties to the region after years of spending much of her time in Georgia. Once again, Rankin enjoyed the political support of her well connected brother Wellington, even though the siblings had increasingly divergent lifestyles and political views.[34]
In the 1940 race, Rankin—at age 60—defeated incumbent
On December 8, Rankin was the only member of either chamber of Congress to vote against the
After the vote, a crowd of reporters pursued Rankin into a cloakroom. There, she was forced to take refuge in a phone booth until Capitol Police arrived to escort her to her office,[39][40] where she was inundated with angry telegrams and phone calls. One cable from her brother read, "Montana is 100 percent against you".[41] A wire-service photo of Rankin sequestered in the phone booth, calling for assistance, appeared the following day in newspapers across the country.[42][43]
While her action was widely ridiculed in the press, Progressive leader William Allen White, writing in the Kansas Emporia Gazette, acknowledged her courage in taking it:
Probably a hundred men in Congress would have liked to do what she did. Not one of them had the courage to do it. The Gazette entirely disagrees with the wisdom of her position. But Lord, it was a brave thing! And its bravery someway discounted its folly. When, in a hundred years from now, courage, sheer courage based upon moral indignation is celebrated in this country, the name of Jeannette Rankin, who stood firm in folly for her faith, will be written in monumental bronze– not for what she did but for the way she did it.[44][45]
Three days later, a similar war declaration against Germany and Italy came to a vote; Rankin abstained. With her political career effectively over, she did not run for reelection in 1942.[7] Asked years later if she ever regretted her action, Rankin replied, "Never. If you're against war, you're against war regardless of what happens. It's a wrong method of trying to settle a dispute."[46][47] John F. Kennedy would write about Rankin's decisions, "Few members of Congress have ever stood more alone while being true to a higher honor and loyalty."[48]
Later life
Over the next twenty years, Rankin traveled the world, frequently visiting India, where she studied the pacifist teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.[49] She maintained homes in both Georgia and Montana.[3]
In the 1960s and 1970s, a new generation of pacifists, feminists, and civil rights advocates found inspiration in Rankin and embraced her efforts in ways that her generation had not. She mobilized again in response to the
Personal life
Rankin never married and never had children. Rankin's biographers generally agree that she was too consumed by her work to pursue committed personal relationships.[53]
Death and legacy
Rankin died on May 18, 1973, at age 92, in
A
In 2004, peace activist Jeanmarie Simpson produced and starred in the one-woman play A Single Woman, based on the life of Rankin, to benefit peace organizations.[60] Simpson also starred in a film adaptation that was directed and produced by Kamala Lopez, narrated by Martin Sheen, and featuring music by Joni Mitchell.[61]
Opera America commissioned a song cycle about Rankin called Fierce Grace that premiered in 2017.[62] In 2018, the Kalispell Brewing Company commissioned a mural on the side of its building in Kalispell, Montana, featuring a Rankin caricature and quotation.[63]
Rankin is the subject of the musical We Won't Sleep (formerly Jeannette) with music and lyrics by Arianna Afsar and a book by Lauren Gunderson. Under the title Jeannette, the musical was part of the 2019 summer series at the National Music Theater Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Connecticut.[64]
Although her legacy rests almost entirely on her pacifism, Rankin told the Montana Constitutional Convention in 1972 that she would have preferred otherwise. "If I am remembered for no other act", she said, "I want to be remembered as the only woman who ever voted to give women the right to vote."[38]
See also
- History of the Republican Party (United States)
- List of peace activists
- Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
- Barbara Lee, the only member of Congress to vote against American military response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks
- A Single Woman (2004 play)
- A Single Woman (2008 film)
Notes
- ^ The school later became part of Columbia University School of Social Work
- ^ Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution requires a representative to live in the "state in which he shall be chosen." In spite of the use of a male pronoun in the Constitution, the House of Representatives decides for itself whether someone is qualified to become a Member, and Rankin was seated without an issue.[21]
- ^ No woman was serving in Congress when the resolution that would become the 19th Amendment passed. Rankin would later point out that she was, therefore, "the only woman who ever voted to give women the right to vote".[21]
References
- ^ a b c Greenspan, Jesse (November 2, 2016). "7 Things You May Not Know About Jeannette Rankin – History Lists". HISTORY.com. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
- The Billings Gazette. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "RANKIN, Jeannette". United States House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
- ^ Smith (2002), pp. 33–34, 38.
- ^ Mansch, Scott (November 7, 2016). "Under the Big Sky: Recalling Rankin's legacy". Great Falls Tribune. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
- ^ O'Brien (1995), pp. 23–25.
- ^ a b c d e f g Alter (1999), pp. 153–157.
- ^ "Jeannette Rankin". Biography. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
- ^ Wilson, Joan Hof (Winter 1980). "American Foreign Policy: Of Her Pacifism" (PDF). Montana: The Magazine of Western History. 30: 28–41 – via JSTOR.
- ^ Hammond, Trevor (July 7, 2015). "First Woman Elected to Congress Takes Her Seat". Fishwrap. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
- The Herald of Everett, Washington. Archived from the originalon April 4, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
- ^ a b "Jeannette Rankin". www.nps.gov. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
- ^ ISSN 2331-9968. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
- ISSN 2329-5457. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Smith (2002) page number needed
- ^ O'Brien (1995), pp. 29–31.
- ^ a b Hoff, Joan. "Who Was Jeannette Rankin". Peace is a Woman's Job. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
- ISSN 2331-9968. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
- ^ Board, John C. (Summer 1967). "The Lady from Montana" (PDF). Montana: The Magazine of Western History. 17: 2–17 – via JSTOR.
- ^ "Jeannette Rankin becomes first woman elected to Congress". constitutioncenter.org. Archived from the original on September 9, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
- ^ a b c Walbert, Kate (August 16, 2016). "Has Anything Changed for Female Politicians?". The New Yorker. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
- New York Times, April 6, 1917,
One Hundred Speeches Were Made – Sobbing, Miss Rankin Votes No
- ^ Shirley (1995), p. 110.
- ^ Shirley (1995), pp. 110–111.
- ^ O'Brien (1995), pp. 44–45.
- ^ a b "Jeannette Rankin's Struggle for Democracy in Industry". history.house.gov. May 16, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
- ^ "Guide to House Records: Chapter 14: Woman Suffrage". National Archives. August 15, 2016. Archived from the original on February 5, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
- ^ O'Brien (1995), pp. 46–47.
- ^ Smith (2002), pp. 133–134.
- PMID 19591257.
- ^ Barker, Kristin (Summer 2003). "Birthing and Bureaucratic Women: Needs Talk and the Definitional Legacy of the Sheppard-Towner Act". Feminist Studies. 29: 333–355 – via JSTOR.
- ^ Shirley (1995), p. 114.
- ^ a b Wilson, Joan Hoff (November 1977). "American Foreign Policy: Life as a Pacifist" (PDF). Montana: The Magazine of Western History: 38–53 – via JSTOR.
- ^ Smith (2002), pp. 172–174.
- Washington Post. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
- St. Petersburg Times. November 8, 1940. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ "U.S. Declares War, Pacific Battle Widens", The New York Times, On This Day, December 8, 1941,
Unity in Congress; Only One Negative Vote as President Calls to War and Victory
- ^ a b c "Jeannette Rankin". 125 Montana Newsmakers. Great Falls Tribune. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
- Milwaukee Sentinel. December 9, 1941. Retrieved October 5, 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Wyckoff, Whitney Blair (May 18, 2011). "The First Woman in Congress: A Crusader For Peace". NPR. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
- ^ Shirley (1995), p. 105.
- ^ O'Brien (1995), p. 16.
- ^ "Jeannette Rankin Votes for Peace 1917, 1941". Architect of the Capitol. December 8, 1941. Archived from the original on September 14, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
In a Capitol phone booth, Jeannette Rankin calls for assistance following her vote against war on December 8, 1941.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Shirley (1995), pp. 105–106.
- ^ O'Brien (1995), p. 17.
- ^ "A Vote Against Entering WWII (1941)", player.fm, December 12, 2021, retrieved December 13, 2021
- ^ Snapshots, Historical (April 5, 2021). "Jeannette Rankin: a snapshot biography". Historical Snapshots. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ "Rankin, Jeannette". National Women's Hall of Fame. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
- ^ Smith (2002), p. 209.
- ^ Moravec, Michelle (2010). "Another Mother for Peace: Reconsidering Maternalist Peace Rhetoric from an Historical Perspective 1967–2007". Journal of the Motherhood Initiative. 1 (1): 9–10.
- ^ Shirley (1995), p. 117.
- ^ Zeitz, Josh (November 2, 2016). "The Congresswoman Who Paved the Way for Hillary Clinton". politico.com. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
- New York Times. May 20, 1973. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
Jeannette Rankin, the first woman to serve in the United States Congress and the only Representative who voted against the nation's entry into World Wars I and II, died Friday night at her apartment in Carmel, Calif. She was 92 years old. ...
- ^ "Jeannette Rankin". National Park Service. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
- ^ "Montana, Broadwater County". nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
- ^ "Empowering Women Through Education". Jeannette Rankin Women's Scholarship Fund.
- ^ "History". Jeannette Rankin Women's Scholarship Fund. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
- ^ "Jeannette Rankin". womenofthehall.org. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- ^ "Jeanmarie Simpson: 'Artivist' for Change, Part 2". copperarea.com. April 18, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
- ^ "A Single Woman". Heroica Films, Inc. 2009. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
- ^ Reinthaler, Joan (April 9, 2017). "Accomplishments of first female member of Congress represented in song". Washington Post.
- ^ Franz, Justin (2018). "Artist Paints Mural of Jeannette Rankin on Kalispell Brewery". Flathead Beacon. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
- ^ Clement, Olivia (2019). "O'Neill Theater Center's 2019 Season Taps New Works by Craig Lucas, Hansol Jung, Charly Evon Simpson, Anna Ziegler, More". Playbill. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
Sources
- Alter, Judy (1999). Extraordinary Women of the American West. New York: Children's Press. ISBN 9780516209746.
- O'Brien, Mary Barmeyer (1995). Jeannette Rankin, 1880–1973 : bright star in the big sky. Helena, Mont.: Falcon Press. ISBN 1560442654.
- Shirley, Gayle C. (1995). More than Petticoats: Remarkable Montana Women (1st ed.). Helena, Mont.: Falcon Press. ISBN 1560443634.
- Smith, Norma (2002). Jeannette Rankin, America's Conscience. Helena, Mont.: Montana Historical Society Press. ISBN 9780917298790.
- This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
Further reading
- Erickson, AJ. "Rankin, Jeannette Pickering," Dictionary of American Biography, Supplement 9 (1994)
- ISBN 978-0918688033.
- Giles, Kevin S. One Woman Against War: The Jeannette Rankin Story. Booklocker.com (2016). ISBN 1634917065
- Luckowski, Jean A.; Lopach, James J. (2005). Jeannette Rankin a political woman ([Reprint]. ed.). Boulder: University Press of Colorado. ISBN 9780870818127.
- Josephson, Hannah (1974). First Lady in Congress: Jeannette Rankin. Indianapolis, IN: Bobbs–Merrill. ISBN 0-672-51921-6.
- Morrison, John; Morrison, Catherine Wright (2003). The Lives and Battles of Montana's Political Legends. Helena: Montana Historical Society Press. ISBN 9780917298936.
- Murphy, Mary (2015). "When Jeannette said 'No': Montana women's response to World War I" (PDF). Montana: The Magazine of Western History. 65 (1): 3–23.
- Tharoor, Ishan (2016). "The only U.S. politician to vote against war with Japan 75 years ago was this remarkable woman." Washington Post. December 8, 2016.
- Wilson, Joan Hoff (1980). "'Peace Is a Woman's Job ... ': Jeannette Rankin and American foreign policy: Her lifework as a pacifist". Montana: The Magazine of Western History. 30 (2): 38–53. JSTOR 4518483.
External links
- United States Congress. "Jeannette Rankin (id: R000055)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Suffragists Oral History Project at Berkeley – 1971–72 interviews with Rankin
- Jeannette Rankin Peace Center in Missoula, Montana
- Papers, 1879–1976. Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
- Jeannette Rankin Documentary produced by Montana PBS
- Jeannette Rankin Oral History Project (University of Montana Archives)
- 1919 passport photo (courtesy of Flickr)
- Rankin Family Papers, 1888–1946