Jeannette Rankin (1880–1973) was an American politician and advocate for
women's rights, and the first woman to hold federal office in the United States. She was elected to the
House of Representatives as a
Republican from
Montana in 1916 and again in 1940, and remains the only woman ever elected to Congress from the state. This photograph of Rankin was taken in 1917, shortly before she began her term as a member of Congress.Photograph credit:
Bain News Service; restored by
Adam Cuerden