Very sad news to pass along today … Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro, who was the first female candidate to run for Vice President here in the US on a major party ticket back in 1984, passed away today at the age of 75. It may not seem like a big deal now but it was such [...]
Very sad news to pass along today … Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro, who was the first female candidate to run for Vice President here in the US on a major party ticket back in 1984, passed away today at the age of 75. It may not seem like a big deal now but it was such a revolutionary event when Ferraro was nominated as the Democratic candidate for Vice President of the US back in the mid-80′s. She will always be remembered as the FIRST and she will be sorely missed.
Geraldine Ferraro, the Democratic congresswoman who became the first woman on a major party presidential ticket as Walter Mondale’s running mate in 1984, died Saturday at the age of 75, NBC News confirmed. Ferraro died at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston of a blood cancer after a 12-year illness, according to a statement from her family cited by various news organizations. Ferraro was a telegenic, articulate and fiery three-term New York congresswoman when Mondale picked her from the male-dominated U.S. House of Representatives. Ferraro’s presence on the Democratic ticket generated excitement on the campaign trail, particularly among females of all ages … “For two centuries, candidates have run for president. Not one from a major party ever asked a woman to be his running mate — until Walter Mondale,” she said. “Campaigns, even if you lose them, do serve a purpose,” Ferraro said. “My candidacy has said the days of discrimination are numbered. American women will never be second-class citizens again.” Though best known for her political achievements, Ferraro started her career in public service upon graduation from Marymount Manhattan College in Manhattan, where she received her B.A. in English in 1952. She became a New York City schoolteacher, teaching second grade at P.S. 85 in Astoria, Queens, part of the district she would later represent in Congress. While teaching, Ms. Ferraro earned a law degree from Fordham Law School. Ferraro spent 13 years at home raising her children, during which time she also practiced law pro bono in Queens County Family Court on behalf of women and children and served as President of the Queens County Women’s Bar Association. In 1974, she was sworn in as an Assistant District Attorney in the Queens County District Attorney’s Office. There, she started the Special Victims Bureau, where she supervised the prosecution of sex crimes, child abuse, domestic violence and violent crimes against senior citizens. Ferraro was first elected to Congress from New York’s Ninth Congressional District in Queens in 1978, and served three terms in the House of Representatives before being tapped for the Vice Presidential run … Ferraro is survived by her husband of 50 years, John A. Zaccaro; her three children and their spouses, Donna Zaccaro Ullman and Paul Ullman, John Zaccaro and Anne Rasmussen Zaccaro, and Laura Zaccaro Lee and Josh Lee; and her eight grandchildren, Matthew and Natalie Ullman, Elizabeth, Samantha and John Zaccaro, and Daisy, Alexander and Jane Lee. Ms. Ferraro resided in New York City.
I was in elementary school back in 1984 and I distinctly remember that Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro won the election that year in our class poll and she will always be a winner in my eyes. I was very lucky to meet Ferraro when she spoke at my political science class when I was in college and it was truly a honor to meet the woman and shake her hand. Despite her VP loss in 1984, Geraldine Ferraro managed to kick open the political doors and paved the way for other female political candidates to find success. Women like Secretary of State Hillary Clinton owe a debt of gratitude to Ferraro. I know this isn’t really gossy news but as a student of Political Science, I could not in good conscience fail to pay homage to such a great woman. Let’s send our love and deepest condolences to Ferraro‘s family today.
[Source]
Olivia Wilde
Megan Fox
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