New Hampshire
In New Hampshire, the state with the largest legislature in the country (424 seats), women have been able to maintain a relatively strong presence. Since 1979, women have comprised at least one-quarter of the legislative body. The 2008 election was an historic one for New Hampshire which became the first state in the nation where women are the majority in the State Senate, with 13 out of 24 seats. New Hampshire has also had two female governors including Jean Shaheen, the first women to serve as both Governor and United States Senator. Senator Shaheen is the first woman representing New Hampshire on the federal level.
New Hampshire Firsts:
- 1982 Vesta Roy was the first woman to serve as Governor – as State Senate President she served in this position during the illness and after the passing of Governor Hugh Gallen
- 1996 Jeanne Shaheen was the first woman elected as Governor of the state
- 2008 Women hold the majority of seats in the New Hampshire Senate (13 seats out of 24) reflecting the highest rate of female senatorial representation in any state in the nation
Did You Know . . .
- Since the late 1970s, women have comprised over 25% of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, making it the only New England state to consistently have at least 25% of its House seats filled by women?
- The only women elected to the U.S. Congress from New Hampshire (Carol Shea-Porter and Jeanne Shaheen) were just elected in the last few years?
- In 2008, Jeanne Shaheen became the first female U.S. Senator from New Hampshire, making her the first woman in U.S. history to serve as both Governor and Senator from the same state?
