Minnesota “Firsts” for Women
As we celebrate the Centennial of the 19th amendment, the League of Women Voters Minnesota can't help but reflect on all that has been accomplished in the last 100 years. One of the most visible markers of these achievements is the many glass ceilings that have been shattered. In that spirit, what follows is a list of "firsts" for women with connections to Minnesota.
This is by no means a comprehensive list, but we would like your help to make it so! If you know of any Minnesota women “firsts” who should be included, please email info@lwvmn.org. Together, we can make a record of the amazing women who have moved us forward in the last century, thereby honoring their achievements and creating a lasting resource for the next century's leaders and barrier-breakers.
Pamela Alexander
Judge
1st African American woman judge in Minnesota
Susan Allen
Minnesota State Representative
1st Native American woman elected to the Minnesota Legislature
Marjorie Ann “Marge” Anderson
Chief Executive
1st woman elected Chief Executive of the Mille Lacs Band Of Ojibwe (1991)
Helen Eugenie Anderson
Ambassador
1st woman in US history appointed chief of mission at the ambassador level
1st American woman to sign a treaty
1st female chief of a U.S. diplomatic mission behind the Warsaw Pact nations
1st woman to sit on the UN Security Council
Maude Armatage
Commissioner
1st woman elected to the Minneapolis Park Board of Commissioners (1921)
Michele Bachmann
United States Representative
1st Republican woman United States Representative from Minnesota
Ann Bancroft
Explorer
1st woman to reach both the South and North Poles
Helen McMickle Bassett
School Board Member
1st African American elected to the Robbinsdale School District #281
Anne L. Beers
Chief of State Patrol
1st woman Chief of State Patrol, from 1997-2005
Sharon Sayles Belton
Mayor of Minneapolis
1st woman and 1st African American Mayor of Minneapolis
Linda Berglin
Assistant Majority Leader
1st woman assistant majority leader for either the Senate or House (1979)
Sandra L. Best
General of the National Guard
1st woman general in the Minnesota National Guard, promoted in 2016
Kathleen Blatz
Judge
1st woman Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court
Muriel Humphrey Brown
United States Senator
1st woman United States Senator from Minnesota (by appointment)
Myrtle Agnes Cain
Minnesota State Representative
1st woman (alongside three others) elected to the Minnesota House in 1922
Jennifer Carnahan
Chair, Republican Party of Minnesota
1st Asian American to serve as Party chair
Toni Carter
Ramsey County Commissioner
1st African American to serve on a county board in Minnesota
Margaret H. Chutich
Associate Justice, Minnesota Supreme Court
1st openly gay state supreme court justice
Karen Clark
Minnesota State Representative
1st openly gay woman elected to the Minnesota State Legislature
Johanna Clyborne
Major General of the Minnesota National Guard
1st woman promoted to a two-star general in the Minnesota National Guard (2019)
Angela Conley
Hennepin County Commissioner
1st African American to serve as a Hennepin County commissioner
Marvel Cooke
Reporter
1st African American Woman to work at a mainstream white-owned newspaper in Minnesota
Angie Craig
United States Representative
1st openly gay United States Representative from Minnesota
Jessie Diggins
Olympic Cross-Country Skier
1st athlete to win cross-country gold for the United States at an Olympic Games, along with Kikkan Randall
Martha Angle Dorsett
Lawyer
1st woman lawyer in Minnesota
Beth Drost
Chairperson
1st woman chairperson of Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Judi Dutcher
Minnesota State Auditor
1st woman to serve as Minnesota State Auditor
Mary Jackson Ellis
Teacher
1st African American woman to be a full time elementary school teacher in Minneapolis
Irene Fernando
Hennepin County Commissioner
1st Filipino American to serve as a Hennepin County commissioner
Michelle Fischbach
President of the Minnesota Senate
1st woman to serve as President of the Minnesota Senate
Peggy Flanagan
Lieutenant Governor
1st Native American woman Lieutenant Governor in the United States
Beth Ford
CEO, Land O'Lakes
1st openly gay woman CEO of a Fortune 500 Company
Cora M. Fuller
Pilot
1st woman licensed pilot in Minnesota (1931)
Joan Gabel
President of the University of Minnesota
1st woman to serve as President of the University of Minnesota
Susan Gaertner
Attorney
1st woman Ramsey County attorney
Edwina Garcia
Richfield City Council Member
1st Latina elected to the Minnesota Legislature
Lillian Cox Gault
Mayor of St. Peter
1st woman Mayor of St. Peter
Maria Regan Gonzalez
Mayor of Richfield
1st Latina Mayor in Minnesota
Janeé Harteau
Police Chief
1st woman and openly gay police chief in Minneapolis
Kaohly Her
Minnesota State Representative
1st Hmong American woman elected to the Minnesota House, along with Rep. Vang
Virginia Paul Holm
Minnesota Secretary of State
1st woman to serve as Minnesota Secretary of State
Sue Metzger Dickey Hough
Minnesota State Representative
1st woman (alongside three others) elected to the Minnesota House in 1922
Agnes Israelson
Mayor
1st woman in Minnesota to serve as a city mayor (Thief River Falls)
Andrea Jenkins
Minneapolis City Council Member
1st African American openly trans woman elected to office in the United States
Carol Johnson
Minnesota State Treasurer (position abolished in 2003)
1st woman to serve as State Treasurer
Josie Robinson Johnson
Regent
1st African American woman member of the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota
Marlene Johnson
Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota
1st woman to serve as Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota
Nellie Stone Johnson
Library Board
1st African American woman elected to office in Minneapolis (Library Board)
Carri Jones
Tribal Chair
1st woman tribal chair of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and the youngest person to win this position
Hannah Johnson Kempfer
Minnesota State Representative
1st woman (alongside three others) elected to the Minnesota House in 1922
Reatha Clark King
Education Leader
1st African American woman to lead a public institution of higher learning (Metropolitan State)
Amy Klobuchar
United States Senator
1st woman elected to the United States Senate from Minnesota
Coya Knutson
United States Representative
1st woman elected to United States Congress from Minnesota
Shar Knutson
Regional Labor Federation President
1st woman president of the Minnesota AFL-CIO
Amy T. Koch
Minnesota Senator
1st woman to serve as the Minnesota Senate Majority Leader
Emily Larson
Mayor of Duluth
1st woman Mayor of Duluth
Choua Lee
School Board
1st Hmong American woman elected to public office in Minnesota (St. Paul School Board)
Dee Long
Speaker of the Minnesota House
1st woman to serve as speaker of the Minnesota House
Betty McCollum
United States Representative
1st woman to represent the 4th Congressional district of Minnesota
Anne McKeig
Associate Justice, Minnesota Supreme Court
1st Native American state supreme court justice
Mandy Meisner
Anoka County Commissioner
1st Asian American to serve as an Anoka County Commissioner
Mary Merrill
Superintendent
1st woman and first person of color to be superintendent of Minneapolis Park and Recreations Board
Rhoda Mhiripiri-Reed
Superintendent of Hopkins School District
1st woman to serve as Superintendent of Hopkins School District
Kadra Mohamed
Police Officer
1st Somali woman police officer for St. Paul
Mee Moua
Minnesota State Senator
1st Hmong American woman elected to a State Legislature in the United States
Diana Murphy
United States Circuit Judge
1st woman to be a U.S. District Judge in Minnesota
1st woman to be Chief Judge of a district court in the Eighth circuit
1st woman to be Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota
1st woman to be appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
1st woman to chair the U.S. Sentencing Commission
Laura Emelia Naplin
Minnesota State Senator
1st woman elected to the Minnesota Senate
Sarah Jane Nicoll
Mayor of Sartell
1st woman mayor of Sartell
Kim Norton
Mayor of Rochester
1st woman mayor of Rochester
Anna Dickie Olesen
United States Senator
1st woman in the county to be nominated by a major party to run for U.S. Senator (1922)
Ilhan Omar
United States Representative
1st Somali American elected to office in the United States (also first Muslim Congresswoman with Rashida Tlaib)
Mabeth Hurd Paige
Minnesota State Representative
1st woman (alongside three others) elected to the Minnesota House in 1922
Rachel Kunjummen Paulose
United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota
1st Indian American woman nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate for any federal appointment
Patricia Torres Ray
Minnesota State Senator
1st Latina elected to the Minnesota Senate
Nina Rothchild
Commissioner
1st director of the Minnesota Commission on Economic Status of Women
Tanya Schwartz
Chief of Police
1st woman chief of police of the Burnsville Police Department (2019)
Jessaline Scott
County Commissioner
1st woman county commissioner in Minneapolis. Known professionally as Mrs. IG Scott, Jessaline served from 1960-1970.
Brianna Scurry
Professional Soccer Player
1st African American woman to be elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame
Lena O. Smith
Lawyer
1st African American woman lawyer in Minnesota
Sarah Strommen
Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
1st woman commissioner of the Minnesota DNR
Lori Swanson
Attorney General of Minnesota
1st woman to serve as Attorney General of Minnesota
Margaret Treuer
Lawyer
1st Native American woman lawyer in Minnesota
Samantha Vang
Minnesota State Representative
1st Hmong American woman elected to the Minnesota House, along with Rep. Her
Erma J. Vizenor
Leader
1st woman to lead the White Earth band of Ojibwe in Minnesota
Sophia Vuelo
Judge
1st Hmong American judge in Minnesota
Rosalie E. Wahl
Associate Justice, Minnesota Supreme Court
1st woman state supreme court justice
Neva Walker
Minnesota State Representative
1st African American woman elected to the Minnesota Legislature
Alice Rockwell Warren
Regent
1st woman member of the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota
Betty Whitlock Washburn
Judge
1st woman judge in Hennepin County
Wilhelmina Wright
United States District Judge
1st African American woman Minnesota Supreme Court Judge