Historical Data
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Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives About this object Speaker Sam Rayburn of Texas reviews vocabulary with women Members of Congress before a spelling bee at the National Press Club.
- There have been 17 Asian-Pacific-American (APA) women who have served in Congress. The first APA woman elected to Congress, Patsy Mink of Hawaii, won election to the House in 1964.
- There have been 59 African-American women who have served in Congress. The first African-American woman elected to Congress, Shirley Chisholm of New York, won election to the House in 1968.
- There have been 31 Hispanic-American women who have served in Congress. The first Hispanic-American woman elected to Congress, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, won election to the House in 1989.
- The first woman of color elected to the Senate was Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois in 1992.
- The first woman of color elected to both chambers was Mazie K. Hirono of Hawaii, who was elected to the United States Senate in 2012.