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at 29th March, 2011Who was the first woman to be named to a presidential ticket?
Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman to become a vice-presidential candidate, was Walter Mondale’s running mate in the 1984 Presidential election. She was also the first woman elected to represent New York’s ninth congressional district in Queens. Ferraro grew up in the South Bronx, graduated from Marymount College with a B.A. in English and received a J.D. from Fordham Law School. At Fordham, she was one of two women to garner a law degree.
Ferraro’s pugnacious personality and sharp political skills made her an interesting pick, given the uphill battle Mondale faced against the Bush-Quayle ticket. While the Democratic ticket did not win the presidency, Ferraro’s selection as a vice-presidential candidate shook up the political hierarchy and created one more crack in the marble ceiling. Ferraro went on to serve three terms in Congress and was later named as America’s ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Commission.
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