Empowered Woman Biographies
A celebration of the Empowered Woman, past and present. These great women have contributed to our culture in many different ways. In this growing list you will find writers, educators, scientists, heads of state, politicians, civil rights crusaders, athletes, artists, entertainers, and others. Some were alive hundreds of years ago and some are living today. Only some of these names may strike you as familiar because so many have been ignored by the history books. But Today Is A New Day! Today we begin our quest to acknowledge and celebrate the Empowered Woman of today and yesterday.
Let the celebration begin!
This List Will Continue To Grow.
Please feel free to contribute: staff@empoweredwoman.org
Influential letter writer who urged her husband, President John Adams to "Remember the Ladies" and permit women to legally own property. She identified this major obstacle to women's equality, which was overcome years later.
Author who produced the first literature for the mass market of juvenile girls in the 19th century. Her best-known work, Little Women, has appeared continuously in print since its first publication in 1868-69.
Poet, author and early Civil Rights advocate. Angelou's early career was in the theater, and she co-wrote Cabaret for Freedom to raise funds for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, for which she later became northern coordinator. She raised social consciousness through writings such as I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and The Heart of a Women. She was a nominee for a Tony, an Emmy, and a Pulitzer Prize.
The women's movement's most powerful organizer whose lifetime of dedication, and work with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, paved the way for women's right to vote. Her words "Men their rights and nothing more; women their rights and nothing less," expressed the ongoing struggle for equality.
African-American teacher who, with only $1.50, began a school to help educate young African-American women. After developing it into a college, she became a powerful leader, and through her leadership of the National Council of Negro Women, worked to end discrimination and increase opportunities for African Americans.
America's first woman lawyer. When denied permission to practice law in Illinois (despite passing the bar examination) because of her gender, she began publishing The Chicago Legal News, a very successful legal journal. When the laws changed in 1892, Bradwell was admitted to practice in Illinois and in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Zoologist whose concern over the damaging
effects of pesticides and other poisons on the environment led to her
groundbreaking work, Silent Spring. Carson's book was a catalyst for the
environmental movement of today.
Former First Lady (1977-1981), Rosalynn Carter is an advocate for mental health, early childhood immunizations, human rights, conflict resolution, and health promotion worldwide.
A part of the Morning Breakfast Club on WALK 97.5 in New York, Cindy keeps so many listeners entertained. Witty, intelligent, and down right funny, Cindy helps make the commute and morning a breeze.
One of the world's greatest poets. A New England woman who spent much of her life in one small community, her world vision and innovative style has had a lasting impact on literature.
One of the nation's earliest and most effective advocates for better care of the mentally ill. When Dix saw that such people were badly treated in institutions, she lobbied nationwide for humane treatment and reform.
First woman to hold two cabinet positions as Secretary of Transportation under Ronald Reagan and Secretary of Labor for President George Bush. Dole later became President of the American Red Cross.
The first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, and the first to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean. Earhart was a strong individual who inspired other women to take risks in non-traditional arenas.
An undersea explorer since age 13, Earle became an internationally recognized marine biologist, author, lecturer and scientific consultant. Denied the opportunity to participate in the U.S. Navy "Tektite Project" to study the ocean, she founded "Tektite II", an all-female expedition that spent two weeks exploring the ocean floor. The founder of two companies to design and build undersea vehicles, she is chief scientist and consultant to oceanographic and marine research centers throughout the world.
In 1926, Ederle became the first woman to
swim the English Channel, setting a new time record that would stand for the
next 35 years. Ederle’s career included 29 U.S. and World swimming records,
erasing many people’s doubts about the physical abilities of female athletes.
First woman nominated by a major political party as a candidate for Vice President of the United States. Chosen to serve as the running mate of Democratic Presidential Nominee Walter Mondale in 1984, Ferraro had been an Assistant District Attorney in New York and later served in the United States Congress.
Literary critic, editor, teacher and
author. Fuller's early writings inspired leaders of women's rights. She was
editor of the The Dial, a Transcendental journal, and she advocated liberation
for all humanity.
Philosopher, writer, educator and activist
who demanded equal treatment for women as the best means to advance society's
progress. Her landmark Women and Economics (1898) argued that until women gained
economic independence, real autonomy and equity could not be achieved.
As publisher and then Board Chair and CEO of the Washington Post, Mrs. Graham became one of the most influential women in the country. Her courageous decisions to publish the Pentagon Papers and to proceed with the Watergate investigation earned her a reputation as a daring and thorough journalist, willing to take risks in order to give the American people full acess to important information.
Physician pathologist who
specialized in industrial diseases. Hamilton helped save workers' lives by
forcing reforms in the workplace and protection from dangers such as lead
poisoning.
In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Harris ambassador to Luxembourg, making her the first African-American women to hold the position of ambassador. She then served as the first African-American woman to head a law school, when she was appointed dean of Howard University School of Law in 1969. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter chose Harris to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and eventually Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, thus making her the first African-American woman to be appointed a Cabinet Secretary.
Founder of the National Museum of Women in
the Arts in Washington, D.C., which brings national and international attention
to the vast achievements of women in art.
Major General Jeanne Holm (USAF)
In her 33 years in the Armed Forces from 1942 to 1975, Major General Holm, USAF, Retired, rose from private to two-star general. Her promotion in 1973 made her the first woman in the history of the US armed forces to achieve the rank of major general. Her work to open ROTC and the military academies to women has given educational benefits and the opportunity for a professional military career to women from all walks of life.
Co-founder (with Cesar Chavez) of the United Farm Workers union, which is dedicated to helping immigrant/migrant people of all ages. Huerta is known as a brilliant organizer, speaker, lobbyist, political strategist and human rights advocate.
Religious leader who insisted on practicing her religious faith as she chose, including holding religious meetings in her home, the first woman in the new world to do so. As a result, she was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Physician who founded the Association for the Advancement of Medical Education of Women. Jacobi was a leader in obtaining quality medical education for women.
First African American woman elected to Congress from the south and the first African American woman to deliver the keynote address at the convention of a major political party (Democratic Convention, 1976). Known as having a brilliant legal mind, Jordan became a professor and lecturer after retiring from Congress.
Author and lecturer. An illness at the age of 19 months left her deaf, blind and mute. Through the work of teacher Anne Sullivan, she learned to overcome these daunting handicaps and became a powerful and effective national spokesperson on behalf of others with similar disabilities.
Dominated the world of tennis for more than 20 years, winning 20 Wimbledon titles, 13 U.S. Open titles and more. King was the founder of the Women's Tennis Association and helped create the Women's Sports Foundation.
Founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA in 1912. Low was a tireless champion of young girls and raised a fortune to support the Girl Scouts by traveling nationwide for the cause.
First U.S. woman and second woman ever to
win the Nobel Prize in Physics. The Prize was awarded for developing the shell
model of the nucleus of the atom, the basic model for the description of nuclear
properties. Goeppert Mayer was also a member of the team that first isolated
fissionable uranium 235.
Co-founder (with Carrie Chapman Catt) of the League of Women Voters in 1920, after ratification of the 19th Amendment. A graduate of MIT in 1904, she funded MIT's first on-campus residence for women. She devoted her late husband's wealth to contraceptive research and her own resources and energy to opening up doors for women in science and engineering.
Trailblazing anthropologist whose book, Coming of Age in
Samoa, caused scientific and social rethinking of adolescence. Mead's career
included the study of numerous tribes as well as extensive and innovative field
work.
Quaker anti-slavery advocate, who, after
meeting Elizabeth Cady Stanton, became a leader in the women's right's movement.
Mott was a planner of the first Women's Rights Convention in Seneca Falls in
1848, and she remained true to her sense of justice for African Americans and
women throughout her life.
First woman and first Hispanic to be named
Surgeon General of the United States. A pediatrician, Novello has used her
position to alleviate suffering worldwide, especially for women and children.
First woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Following successes as Assistant Attorney General and State Senator in Arizona, O'Connor was elected to Superior Court and then the Court of Appeals. She was named to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Regan.
Known as "the mother of the Civil Rights
Movement," when, in 1955, she refused to give up her seat on a public bus to a
white man in Montgomery, Alabama. The event sparked the Montgomery bus boycott,
the first major effort in the Civil Rights struggle.
Catalyst for change in the labor, women's and consumer movements. The driving force behind President Kennedy's creation of the first Presidential Commission on Women in 1962, Peterson headed the Women's Bureau in the Department of Labor. She also served Presidents Johnson and Carter, and served at the United Nations under President Clinton.
First woman elected to the U.S. Congress. Rankin served two separate terms representing Montana, and was the only U.S. Representative to vote against America's entry into both World Wars. A lifelong pacifist, she worked for peace until her death.
The nation's first professional woman
chemist, an important figure in opening careers in science to women. By applying
scientific principles to domestic life, Richards became a leader in the new
disciplines of sanitary engineering, nutrition and home economics.
Trailblazing First Lady and wife of
President Franklin Roosevelt. She spent her adult years working in politics and
social reform. Her warmth and compassion inspired the nation, and she later
became U.S. Delegate to the United Nations. The U.N. Declaration of Human Rights
was largely her work, and she chaired the first-ever Presidential Commission on
the Status of Women (1961).
Feminist leader, writer and social activist. A founder of Ms. Magazine, Steinem also co-convened the National Women's Political Caucus and helped create the Ms. Foundation for Women. A best selling author, her latest works are Revolution from Within: A Book of Self Esteem for Women and Moving Beyond Words.
Research biologist who identified that the "X" and "Y"
chromosomes determined the sex of humans, ending scientific debate as to whether
sex was determined by heredity or other factors. Stevens was a biology professor
at Bryn Mawr College throughout her career.
Best known as Helen Keller’s teacher, Anne Sullivan became one of the most renowned educators in the country. Undaunted by her own vision impairment, Anne graduated from the Perkins Institute for the Blind and then went on to teach the deaf, blind and mute Keller how to communicate through a combination of teaching techniques based on touch. Only with Sullivan’s unending help and support was Helen Keller able to obtain a college degree. 1960’s Broadway play, The Miracle Worker, showed the world the true value of Sullivan’s work for Keller and on behalf of visually-impaired people everywhere.
Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in 1910 in Skopje, Yugoslavia, she joined the Sisters of Loreto in 1928. She took the name "Teresa" after St. Teresa of Lesiux, patroness of the Missionaries.
Reverently called "Moses" by the hundreds of slaves she helped to freedom and the thousands of others she inspired, Harriet Tubman became the most famous leader of the Underground Railroad to aid slaves escaping to free states or Canada.
Michelle C. Ustaszeski created Sam-n-Nick's Inspirations 1998 when she combined her love of writing and passion for life together with the digital camera. A compassionate and giving person, Michelle also created The Sam-n-Nick's Foundation which was established in order to comfort children who will be hospitalized during the Holidays by providing them with teddy bears that have an inspirational message attached to them.
The first African American woman to own
her own television production company and who became television's highest-paid
entertainer. As host of the nation's most successful talk show, Winfrey reaches
more that 15 million people every day. She is an advocate for ending child
abuse, and she contributes generously to colleges and universities.
Founder of CHILDFIND, a nationwide
organization which helps locate missing children. Yerkovich developed the
program after her own daughter was abducted. Her concept was the prototype for
the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.