Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
The struggle to achieve equal rights for women took a huge step forward on Aug. 18, 1920
when the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified.
The amendment, guaranteeing all American women the right to vote states, "The right of citizens
of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or
by any State on account of sex."
This monumental milestone also opened up the gates for women to be eligible to be elected
to the Minnesota Legislature.
During the 1919 special session when Minnesota ratified the 19th Amendment, the Legislature
passed a law that said voting rights for Minnesota women were contingent on ratification of the
19th Amendment by three-fourths of the states; that occurred the following year when Tennessee
ratified the amendment.
Before this special session, the Minnesota constitution stated that only people who
were eligible to vote were eligible to run for elective office.
In 1922, two years after the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, four
women were elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives.
It would take a little more time for a woman to become what some consider the second-most
influential official in the state—the speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives.
In this "Legislative Fair Factor: The Speakers' Edition," we ask, in what year was the "glass
ceiling" broken and the first woman became speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives?
Was it:
A. 1940 B. 1952
C. 1978 D. 1992
And the answer is: D
Dee Long was elected by the House of Representatives as speaker in 1992.
She says her legislative experience and being in the right time helped her get elected.
I had carried some fairly tough legislation and done a good job with it. In terms of the
time, I think time was ripe and most of my fellow Democrats realized that. I know one
of the Iron Rangers said, "You know 10 years I wouldn't have voted for a woman for city
council, but I'm going to support you. Also, there had been a sea change in terms of women
out in the labor force. Most of the younger male members had wives who had careers of
their own and I think that made a big difference. Minnesota had been a state for more than 130
years when Long, a DFLer from Minneapolis, became the first woman to serve as speaker.
Although Long resigned from her role as speaker in September of 1993 due to the "Phonegate"
scandal, in which members of the House of Representatives were found to be using state
toll-free access codes for personal use, she continued to serve as representative.
In 1998, she became the first woman to chair the House Taxes Committee.
Since Long, there has been just one other Madam Speaker— Margaret Anderson Kelliher.
She was elected speaker in 2007 and served two terms in that role.
I'm always so thrilled when new women are elected. I think it's very, very important.
Women do have a slightly different perspective and I think that is so important in the process
of making laws for the state, or making laws for the country.
You can imagine yourself as the speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives this
year at the State Fair.
The House has a booth in the Education Building complete with a speaker's desk and gavel.
To get a feel for what it's like to stand in this position of power, come check out
our booth. We are here every day of the Great Minnesota Get-Together.