HELENA — On Tuesday, Montana voters will head to the polls for the 2026 primary election. While all elections are impactful, one was undeniably historic for the nation.
In honor of the United States of America’s 250th anniversary, we take a look at Montana’s and the nation’s first woman elected to Congress.
WATCH: America 250 — Jeannette Rankin, first woman elected to Congress
“I think we all stand on the shoulders of people who have gone before us, and Jeannette Rankin had very broad shoulders,” Montana Supreme Court Justice Beth Baker told MTN.
When speaking about impactful Montana politicians, the conversation must include Jeannette Rankin. Elected to Congress four years before women had the right to vote nationally, she was a trailblazer who was defined by her conviction in her beliefs.
“It’s very important for women in politics to know that they have to stand on their own value system, and she did that first,” said Rep. Jill Cohenour, D-East Helena.
Rankin long broke gender barriers before being elected to Congress.
“She is one of the first women in the country to get her degree in biology, so she’s already at the forefront of history in that way,” explained Kaelie Giffel, PhD, with the Montana Historical Society. “She will also be a really well-known suffrage organizer early in her life.”
On June 11, 1880, Jeannete Pickering Rankin was born to Olive and John Rankin at their cattle ranch near Missoula.
The oldest of seven, she would attend Montana State University in Missoula (now the University of Montana), graduating with a degree in Biology in 1902.
In 1909, she graduated from the New York School of Philanthropy, now Columbia University of Social Work). She then moved to Spokane, Washington, to work with children in need.
It was in Washington that Rankin first became politically involved. She was a student volunteer with the local women’s suffrage campaign, helping with the campaign for a referendum on voting rights.
While returning home to Montana in 1910, she learned a suffrage resolution was going to be introduced at the state legislature. In February 1911, she became the first woman to address the Montana State Legislature, urging support for women’s suffrage.
For the next several years, Rankin worked as a field secretary for the National American Woman Suffrage Association. She traveled across the country, gaining support for the suffrage movement in various states and pushing for worker rights.
In 1913, she helped lead the Montana suffrage campaign, pushing the state legislature to again take up the issue. That session, Montana lawmakers decided to put the vote to the people, passing a referendum for a proposed ballot measure.
In 1914, the suffrage amendment bill was approved by voters, making Montana the 11th state in the nation to give women the vote.
“It was amazing what she accomplished,” said Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras. “I believe in Montana, they have always appreciated strong leaders, a strong work ethic, integrity, and Jeannette had all of those characteristics.”
Juras had the opportunity to meet Rankin when the Lt. governor was still in middle school. Rankin’s sister married Juras’ uncle. Juras noted she was a bit star-struck as a kid, after all, Rankin was taught in Montana schools.
In 1916, she announced her candidacy as a Republican for one of Montana’s two A-Large House seats in Congress.
That year, Democratic Rep. John Evans secured the most votes, with Rankin coming in second, securing her place in history as the first woman elected to Congress.
“I am deeply conscious of the responsibility, and it is wonderful to have the opportunity to be the first woman to sit in Congress. I will not only represent the women of Montana, but also the women of the country, and I have plenty of work cut out for me,” said Rankin about the results.
While it is common to see women in elected leadership positions now, in 1916, it drew the attention of the nation.
“It was just sort of earth-shattering; it totally reoriented things,” noted Giffel. “You have to keep in mind, she was elected at a time when women did not have the right to vote across the country.”
On April 2, 1917, Rankin was sworn in to the 65th Congress. The same day, she introduced her first bill H.J. Res. 3, the Susan B Anthony Amendment, which would give and protect the right to vote for all women in the nation.
“She’s the only woman who cast a vote in Congress to give women the right to vote,” said Baker.
That evening, President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany and officially enter World War I. Rankin was a pacifist and had long opposed war of any kind, believing it was an unacceptable way to settle disputes.
Four days later, she joined 49 other members of the House to vote against going to war. “I want to stand by my country, but I cannot vote for war,” she told the chamber. “I vote no.”
Rankin’s critics capitalized on the moment, rallying attacks against her for her stance.
Over the next two years, she would be a strong voice for women’s and workers’ rights.
In 1918, Congress passed the Nineteenth Amendment and, after being ratified by the states, it was added to the Constitution in 1920.
Following a change to Montana’s congressional districts, Rankin ran for the Montana U.S. Senate seat. A race she would ultimately lose.
After leaving Congress, she continued to advocate for workers' rights and argued for a Constitutional amendment banning child labor.
She also championed efforts to create a social welfare program for women and children. In 1920, she helped found the American Civil Liberties Union, serving as vice president.
Rankin also continued to advocate for peace, making regular speeches around the nation for the National Council for the Prevention of War and the Women’s Peace Union.
In 1940, Rankin again ran to represent Montana in the U.S. House of Representatives. She defeated the incumbent in the race during the primary and won the general election.
Congress had already been debating intervening in World War II, but the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, quickly quieted most opposition.
The following day, Rankin was the only member of Congress to vote against the declaration of war.
"As a woman, I can't go to war," Rankin said on the floor, "and I refuse to send anyone else."
“This was a deeply, deeply unpopular thing, both among her colleagues and in the country,” Giffel said. “There was sort of a sense of ‘How on earth could you say no? We’d just been attacked.’ But she says this is not the right response to this attack, going to war is not going to solve this problem.”
Rankin’s decision to vote against entering World War II effectively ended her political career.
In the following years, she would firmly stand by her decision and commitment to seeking peace over conflict.
On May 18, 1973, Rankin died at the age of 92. To this day, she is the only woman Montana has sent to Congress.
Today, her story is taught in classrooms across Montana—but her impact extends beyond school walls.
Part of Rankin’s legacy was ensuring everyone’s voices are heard, be that in her generation or for generations to come.
“There are many women who continue to be trailblazers,” Juras said. “For example, the governor’s administration—I am the lieutenant governor as a woman, his chief of staff, more than half of his cabinet appointments are women. We have a strong presence of women in the Montana Legislature from all walks of life.”
More information about the lasting impacts of Jeannette Rankin can be found on the Jeannette Rankin Foundation website.
