Karen Shepherd: “when Mattie Hughes Cannon came to Washington, DC in 1898 she testified in Congress on behalf of women's suffrage. At the…”

“when Mattie Hughes Cannon came to Washington, DC in 1898 she testified in Congress on behalf of women's suffrage. At the time she was a Utah State Senator. She had won her seat in 1896--the first woman in the country elected to a state senate. On her trip to Washington she commented, ``Utah received her full share of honor and recognition, and was acknowledged to be in the vanguard of progress.'' That is not far from the truth today. A century later, 2 of 29 State senators and 12 of 75 State representatives put women at about 13 percent in the Utah legislature. Congress, with 7 of 100 Senators and 48 of 435 Representatives, almost reaches the Utah standard. Yet, despite our limited number, women have made a difference in the 103d Congress as Mattie Hughes Cannon did in the Utah Senate's second legislative session more than a century ago. My hat is off to Mattie Hughes Cannon and the many women like her that we celebrate during Women's History Month. Through their stories we are inspired to continue our efforts to open doors that have been shut to all women for far too long.”