(Helena) Governor Greg Gianforte Wednesday proclaimed April 2nd, 2025 “Jeannette Rankin Day” in Montana.
Rankin was the first woman to be elected to the United States Congress in 1916, which took place before women were permitted to vote in the US.
Rankin was born in 1880 on her family’s ranch in Missoula County. A leader of the women’s suffrage movement, Rankin led the effort to make Montana the 11th state to grant women the right to vote.
April 2nd was chosen because it coincides with the day in 1917 when Rankin was sworn into office as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
