Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Women's History Month and the important role that New Hampshire has played in our proud tradition of women breaking barriers. In 1870, 50 years before passage of the 19th Amendment, Marilla Ricker attempted to vote in New Hampshire. She was denied the ballot, but she refused to stand by and continued to attempt to vote over the coming decades. Ms. Ricker was denied admittance to the New Hampshire Bar, but fought all the way to the State supreme court, and in 1890 became the first woman admitted to our State bar. Women hold many firsts in elected office in New Hampshire. Dudley Dudley, the first woman on the New Hampshire Executive Council; Jeanne Shaheen, Governor; Beverly Hollingworth, Senate President; and Donna Sytek, Speaker of the New Hampshire House, all served together in 1999. Linda Dalianis became our first Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court. In 2012, I was honored to be a member of the first ever all-female congressional delegation with Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Kelly Ayotte, and Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter. Now, Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan are the only women ever in American history to serve as Governor and U.S. Senator. For Women's History Month, I am proud of New Hampshire's contribution to advancing women. ____________________”