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legal herstory firsts
United States

First Woman
President

Year: 

Not Yet!

First Woman
Vice President

Year: 2020

Kamala Harris

First Woman
Governor

Year: 1925

Nellie Tayloe Ross

 

Wyoming

First Woman
Cabinet Member

Year: 1933

Frances Perkins

First Woman
U.S. Secretary of State

Year: 1997

Madeleine Albright

First Woman
U.S. Attorney General

Year: 1993

Janet Reno

First Woman

Speaker of the U.S.

House of Representatives

Year: 2007, 2019

Nancy Pelosi

California

First Woman

Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives

Year: 2002

Nancy Pelosi

California

First Woman
Member of the U.S.

House of Representatives

Year: 1917

Jeannette Rankin

Montana

First Woman
Senate Majority Leader

Year: 

Not Yet

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​

First Woman

Senate Minority Leader

Year: 

Not Yet

​​

​

First Woman
Senator

Year: 1922

Rebecca Latimer Felton

Georgia

First Woman
Supreme Court Justice

Year: 1981

Sandra Day O'Connor

First Woman
Federal Judge

Year: 1918

Kathryn Sellers

​

Juvenile Court, District of Columbia

First Woman
District Court Judge

Year: 1949

Burnita Shelton

Matthews

District of Columbia

First Woman
Admitted Lawyer

Year: 1869

Arabella Mansfield

Iowa

First Woman
Law School Graduate

Year: 1870

Ada Miser Kepley

University of Chicago

First Woman
Law School Student

Year: 1869

Lemma Barkaloo

Washington University

First Woman
General Counsel

of the Army

Year: 1977

Jill Wine-Banks

First Woman
Judge Advocate General

of the Army

Year: 2013

LTG Flora D. Darpino

First Woman
General Counsel

of the Department of Defense

Year: 1987

Kathleen A. Buck

First Woman
General Counsel

of the Air Force

Year: 1986

Kathleen A. Buck

First Woman
Judge Advocate General

of the Air Force

Year: 2025

MajGen Rebecca R. Vernon*

First Woman
Solicitor General

of the United States

Year: 2009

Elena Kagan

First Woman
General Counsel

of the Navy

Year: 2009

Anne M. Brennan*

First Woman
Judge Advocate General

of the Navy

Year: 1986

RADM Lia M. Reynolds*

First Woman
Judge Advocate General

of the Coast Guard

Year: 2020

RADM Melissa Bert

  * Acting   

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