Vermont
Vermont stands out as having the most women serving in its state legislature of any New England state – at present, 38% of its legislators are women. Following women’s suffrage in 1921 was the election of Edna Beard to the Vermont House of Representatives. Over the next 35 years, women continued to make steady gains in representation earning Vermont the title for the state with the most women in any state legislature in 1953. This early progress for women in politics culminated in the election of Madeleine Kunin as Governor in 1984. Although women have fared relatively well in the state legislature, the state has yet to elect a woman to the United States Senate or House of Representatives.
Vermont Firsts:
- 1921 Edna Beard was the first woman elected to the Vermont House of Representatives
- 1972 Stella Hackel-Sims was the first female State Treasurer
- 1985 Madeleine Kunin began her tenure as the first female governor of Vermont
- 1999 Deborah Markowitz was elected as Secretary of the State – the first woman to hold this position
Did You Know . . .
- By 1923, only three years after gaining suffrage, five women were elected to the Vermont House of Representatives?
- In 1953, Vermont had the most female representatives in the State House in any state with 52 female lawmakers?
- Vermont has yet to elect a woman to either the U.S. House of Representative or the U.S. Senate?
