Political Quotes

“50 years ago today, on January 27, 1964, Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine announced her candidacy for President of the United States. The following July, at the Republican National Convention in San Francisco, the great lady from Maine became the first woman in history to ever have her name entered into nomination by a major party for our Nation's highest office. I rise to commemorate this remarkable leader and this significant milestone in our history. At the time of her announcement, Senator Smith was in her 24th year in Congress and was an established groundbreaker. She was the first woman elected to both the House and the Senate and the first to serve on the Armed Services Committee. She was the woman who gave other women the opportunity to pursue careers in the military. Due to her early and energetic support for the space program, she has been called the woman who put a man on the Moon. Her courageous ``Declaration of Conscience'' delivered in the Senate on June 1, 1950, turned the tide against McCarthyism and reminded all Americans of our Nation's core values of free expression and independent thought. Senator Smith made her Presidential announcement in a speech at the Women's National Press Club in Washington. Yes, Mr. President, there was a separate press club for women in those days.…”