Geraldine Ferraro Becomes the First Woman on a National Ticket

Geraldine Ferraro was a politician, diplomat, attorney - and also a teacher, activist, author, and businesswoman.

The daughter of an Italian immigrant, Geraldine lost her father when she was 8, and moved with her family to the South Bronx where her mother worked in the garment industry to support them.

She was an outstanding student winning a full scholarship to college, and earning a degree in English with honors. 

Geraldine Ferraro worked as a public school teacher in Queens before entering Fordham University School of Law in 1957. She continued to teach second grade at PS 57 in Queens during the day while going to law school in Manhattan at night and was of 2 women in her graduating class of 179 to earn a Juris Doctorate in 1960. 

Ferraro raised a family and worked as a civil lawyer for 13 years - occasionally doing pro bono work for women in family court.

She joined the Queens District Attorneys Office in 1974 heading the new Special Victims Bureau that dealt with sex crimes, child abuse, and domestic violence. 

Before she made history as the first woman to run for office on a national ticket - Geraldine Ferraro was a rising star in the Democratic Party and a powerful voice in Congress. 

Elected in 1978 to Represent New York’s 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn and Queens, a seat once held by Joseph Pulitzer and later by Chuck Schumer.

In only her second term she served in a prestigious leadership position as Secretary of the House Democratic Caucus - under legendary Speaker Tip O’Neil. A position perviously held by Shirley Chisholm and later by James Clyburn. 

In July of 1984, former Vice President Walter Mondale made history when he asked Ferraro to join the Democratic ticket as his running mate when he became the presidential nominee to challenge incumbent President Ronald Reagan and his Vice President George HW Bush.

One hundred and ninety-seven years after the Constitutional Convention was held in Philadelphia in 1787, a female candidate was finally nominated for national office at the Democratic Convention in San Francisco in 1984.

36 years, 6 months and 2 days later Senator Kamila Harris – also the daughter of immigrants, was sworn in as the 49th Vice President of the United States

Let’s listen to the Honorable Geraldine Ferraro’s historic acceptance speech for the 1984 Democratic Vice Presidential nomination

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