Mary (Stagecoach) Fields

Mary (Stagecoach) Fields (1832 – 1914), a postal service worker, was the first to become a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service, Montana in 1895, at approximately the age of 60.

Mary McLeod Bethune

Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955), an educator and civil rights activist, was the first to head a federal agency as Director of the Division of Negro Affairs, appointed by President Roosevelt in 1930.

Crystal Bird Fauset

Crystal Bird Fauset (1894 – 1965), teacher, lecturer, social activist and politician, was the first elected to a state legislature (the Pennsylvania House of Representatives) in 1938.

Edith Spurlock Sampson

Edith Spurlock Sampson (1901–1979), a lawyer and judge, became the first African American delegate to the United Nations in 1950 and the first Black woman elected as a judge in Illinois.

Charlotta Bass

Charlotta Bass (1874 – 1969), a newspaper publisher- editor and civil rights activist, was the first to run as Vice-President of the United States, nominated by the Progressive Party in 1952.

Constance (Baker) Motley

Constance (Baker) Motley (1921–2005), an attorney and judge was the first Black woman appointed federal judge when President Johnson named her to the Southern District of New York in 1966.

Barbara Mae Watson

Barbara Mae Watson (1918–1983), a, lawyer, and diplomat, was the first Assistant Secretary of State for Security and Consular Affairs, appointed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1968.

Shirley Chisholm

Shirley Chisholm (1924 - 2005), a teacher, civil rights activist and politician, was the first elected to the United States Congress in 1968 and the first to run for President of the United States, 1972.

Barbara Jordan

Barbara Jordan (1936–1996), a lawyer, civil rights activist, and politician, was the first black woman from the South elected to the U.S. Congress in 1972 and the first to give a keynote address at the 1976 Democratic National Convention.

Cardiss Collins

Cardiss Collins (1931 – 2013), a secretary and politician, was the first to represent the Midwest, from the state of Illinois, in the United States Congress in 1973. She was also the first to chair the Congressional Black Caucus in 1979.

Patricia Harris

Patricia Harris (1924 – 1985), a lawyer, social activist, and politician, was the first to serve in a President’s Cabinet, in 1977, as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and in 1979 as Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare.

Eleanor Holmes Norton

Eleanor Holmes Norton (b. 1937), a civil right activist and politician was the first to chair the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 1977. She is also a tenured professor of law and a respected constitutional scholar.

Carolyn Robertson Payton

Carolyn Robertson Payton (1925 – 2001), a teacher, psychologist and woman’s rights activist, was the first to head the Peace Corps, 1977.

Carrie Saxon Perry

Carrie Saxon Perry (1931 - ), a community activist and politician, was the first elected mayor of a large U.S. City, (Hartford, Connecticut) in 1987.

Sharon Pratt Kelly

Sharon Pratt Kelly (b. 1944), a lawyer and politician, became the first woman mayor of Washington, D.C. in 1990.

Jacquelyn H. Barrett

Jacquelyn H. Barrett (b. 1950), a law enforcement officer, was the first woman elected United States Sheriff in Fulton County, Atlanta, Georgia, in 1992.

Carol Moseley Braun

Carol Moseley Braun (b. August 16, 1947) is an American politician and lawyer who represented Illinois in the U.S. Senate from 1993 to 1999, becoming the first female African-American Senator and the first African-American Democrat elected to Senate.

Corrine Brown

Corrine Brown (b. November 11, 1946 ), a college professor and politician, was the first woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida in 1992 and served 24 years, advocating for veterans, transportation, education, and federal support for the district.

Pamela Fanning Carter

Pamela Fanning Carter (b. August 20, 1949), a lawyer and politician, became Indiana’s first State Attorney General from 1993 to 1997, a historic victory that advanced diversity in state government after serving earlier as a Deputy Prosecutor in Marion County.

Condoleezza Rice

Condoleezza Rice (b. 1954), a political scientist and Stanford professor, became the first woman appointed U.S. Secretary of State in 2005. She previously served as National Security Advisor and is also an accomplished classical pianist and former provost.

Karen Ruth Bass

Karen Ruth Bass (b. 1953), a politician and activist, became the first Speaker of the California State Assembly in 2008 and later the elected mayor of Los Angeles in 2022.

Valerie Jarrett

Valerie Jarrett (b. 1956), a lawyer, businesswoman, and politician, was the first Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2017 and a strong advocate for women’s rights.

Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama (b. 1964), a lawyer and writer, is the first to become the First Lady of the United States in 2009 and is celebrated for her influential initiatives and inspiring speeches.

Susan Rice

Susan Rice (b.1964), a politician and diplomat, was the first to be the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, and the youngest (2009). She was appointed by President Barrack Obama

Desiree Rogers

Desiree Rogers (1959 - ), a business executive, was the first to hold the position of White House Social Secretary under President Barrack Obama.

Robin Kelly

Robin Kelly (1956 - ), a politician, was the first elected to represent 2nd U.S. Congressional District of Illinois in 2009.

Davita Vance Cooks

Davita Vance Cooks (1957 - ), a business executive, was the first to serve as the United States Public Printer, by President Obama in 2013.

Ivy R. Taylor

Ivy R. Taylor (b. 1970) is the first female to serve as Mayor of the City of San Antonio, Texas. She was appointed in 2014.