A 1983 Gallup poll found that 80 percent of Americans professed that they would vote for a qualified woman for president, a marked improvement since the question had first been asked just before World War II. She felt that if she did a credible job, then she would change the perception of what people thought was possible for women.. The lawyer whod helped Mondale with his own vice-presidential debate eight years prior, Bob Barnett, oversaw Ferraros debate prep. The prospect of a Democrat putting a woman on the ticket was often placed in the context of electability: Would it help them unseat the incumbent President? Many of the male delegates had given up their floor passes to a diverse group of women. Ferraro uttered the words, I proudly accept your nomination for Vice President of the United States, and then had to pause for more than a minute for applause and cheers of Ger-ry. Foundational feminist Betty Friedan, who had been hesitant to push for a female nominee, fearing the accomplishment would be solely a symbolic gesture, wrote to Ferraro: It was a peak experience for me that day in San Francisco. [195], Ferraro continued to engage the issue and criticize the Obama campaign via her position as a Fox News Channel contributor. [164] By 1993, she was serving on the Fordham Law School Board of Visitors, as well as on the boards of the National Breast Cancer Research Fund, the New York Easter Seal Society, and the Pension Rights Center, and was one of hundreds of public figures on the Planned Parenthood Federation of America's Board of Advocates. I am a devout Catholic, she answered, I would never have an abortion, but I [am] not quite sure if I were ever to become pregnant as a result of a rape if I would be that self-righteousI will accept the teaching of the church, but I cannot impose my religious views on someone else.. Humility isn't one of her strong points and I think that comes through. During 1980, she tried to prevent the federal government from gaining the power to override local laws on hazardous materials transportation, an effort she continued in subsequent years. You're taking a man's place, you know. Both the political right and left tried to determine how this new trend would play in the elaborate chess game of electoral politics. [175] By 2005, she was making sporadic appearances on the channel,[172] which continued into 2007, and beyond. The New York Times wrote at the time: "If Ms. Ferraro's rise was meteoric, her political career's denouement was protracted, often agonizing and, at first glance, baffling. Im not into losing or being offered up as a sacrifice, Ferraro wrote in her memoir. "Now that was fun" Geraldine Ferraro, after the October 11 vice-presidential debate, What she went into [the debate] really wanting to prove was that she was very substantive and very knowledgeable and even-tempered, recalls Donna Zaccaro, her eldest daughter. Geraldine Ferraro Broke A Barrier For Women, But Roadblocks Remain - NPR Green. [105], Ferraro is one of only four U.S. women to run on a major party national ticket. [35][57][58] Mondale had been 16points behind Reagan in polls before the pick, and after the convention he pulled even for a short time. [200][201][202] Palin mentioned Ferraro as well as Clinton as forerunners in her introductory appearance. There she worked with corporations, non-profit organizations, state governments and political figures. "[94], Ferraro's womanhood was consistently discussed during the campaign; one study found that a quarter of newspaper articles written about her contained gendered language. She also threatened to greet him by his not-favored nicknamePoppy. (For the real deal, Ferraro went with a handshake and no monikers. Held on October 11, the result was proclaimed mostly even by the press and historians;[58][89] women voters tended to think Ferraro had won, while men, Bush. [186] She assisted with fundraising by assuming an honorary post on the finance committee for Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign. "[16] She earned a Juris Doctor degree with honors from Fordham University School of Law in 1960,[11][17] going to classes at night while continuing to work as a second-grade teacher at schools such as P.S. You will win big in 84, read the piece of paper inside Queens congresswoman Geraldine Ferraros cookie. [1] She was elected to be the Secretary of the House Democratic Caucus for 19811983 and again for 19831985;[40] this entitled her to a seat on the influential Steering and Policy Committee. They wanted the eventual nominee to consider a woman for his running mate as a matter of symbolism and practicality, someone who would barnstorm barriers but also be seen as a viable candidate. GERALDINE Ferraro ran for Vice President in Walter Mondale's bid for the White House in the 1984 US election. Barnett, whod go on to ready many other Democratic candidatesincluding both Clintonsfor debates, says Ferraro would joke about throwing Bush off-kilter: For the opening handshake, she threatened to kiss the vice president full on the lips, he remembers. Ferraro was born in 1935, in Newburgh, New York, the daughter of a first-generation Italian-American mother and an Italian immigrant father. New York Representative Shirley Chisholm had become the first black woman to run for president 11 years prior, and in 1977, tens of thousands of women had gathered at the National Womens Conference in Houston to brainstorm policy ideas that would improve the daily lives of American women. [103][104] However, the committee concluded that she had acted without "deceptive intent", and since she was leaving Congress anyway, no action against her was taken. She ran unsuccessfully for the Senate twice and became the United Nations Human Rights Commission ambassador. "[121], Ferraro remained active in raising money for Democratic candidates nationwide, especially women candidates. P.S. Her candidacy did spark enthusiasm: People donated to and volunteered for her campaign in droves, and women expressed heightened interest in politics after her run. [77] Ferraro said the statements proved overall that she had nothing to hide and that there had been no financial wrongdoing. [122] She founded the Americans Concerned for Tomorrow political action committee, which focused on getting ten women candidates elected in the 1986 Congressional elections (eight of whom would be successful). She felt tremendous responsibility, says her daughter Donna. Jeffrey, who had deep ties among labor, civil rights, and womens rights activists, was convinced, and shed drop Ferraros name in conversations with her peers when the topic turned to potential vice presidents. Seizes 'Genderless Issue' of Tax Returns to Attack Ferraro", "Husband Plans Tax Disclosure With Ferraro", "Press values clash over coverage of Ferraro 'ties' to mob", "Ferraro Denies Any Wrongdoing; 2d Loan By Zaccaro From Estate", "To have (as a running mate), and hold (politely)", "Aide to Ferraro Demands Bush Make Apology", "Vice President George Bush's spokesman Peter Teeley, who acknowledged", "Transcript of M.E. I would never have accepted Mondales offer if I didnt think we would win. Later, when Reagans approval ratings rebounded, the argument evolved. The company's main product lines are yarns and knitted fabrics. She's a girl. The gender gap is the new wild card in political sweepstakes.. Geraldine Ferraro: When Walter Mondale Put a Woman on His - History The third-term representative, a second-generation Italian-American, was the evenings guest of honor; the other women had concluded she was the right woman to do the glass-shattering. In May, Tip ONeill endorsed Ferraro as a potential vice president in the Boston Globe. Geraldine Ferraro, in full Geraldine Anne Ferraro, married name Geraldine Zaccaro, (born August 26, 1935, Newburgh, New York, U.S.died March 26, 2011, Boston, Massachusetts), American Democratic politician who was the first woman to be nominated for vice president by a major political party in the United States; as such, she served as Walter And now, 12 years after Palin, former Vice President Joe Bidens selection of Kamala Harris as his running mate will make the California senator the second Democratic woman to become a vice presidential nominee. 2 Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro during the 1984 US election campaign Credit: Alamy Who was Geraldine Ferraro? [95] Throughout, Ferraro kept campaigning, taking on the traditional running mate role of attacking the opposition vigorously. . [31], Ferraro was active in Democratic presidential politics as well. But this win wasn't easy. [188] Clinton publicly expressed disagreement with Ferraro's remarks, while Ferraro vehemently denied she was a racist. [57] Mondale himself would later reflect that "I knew that I was in for it with Reagan" and that he had no regrets about choosing Ferraro. A presidential year that began with the traveling `cattle show' of Democratic presidential. The womens vote, a powerful new voting bloc, will make the difference in political contests, wrote Smeal in her 1984 book, Why Women Will Elect the Next President. In Ferraros home state of New York, the incumbents won by 7.5 points. The Untold Story of Ronald Reagan's 'Slimy' Team That Worked to Smear And so now it is wonderful to see a woman on a national ticket. The election ended poorly for the Democrats: Reagan and his vice president, George H.W. By those standards, the notion of a female vice president was audacious. [189], The campaign between the two also saw racial dust-ups caused by perceptions of remarks made by campaign surrogates. [91] Peter Teeley, Vice President Bush's press secretary, said of Ferraro just prior to the debate, "She's too bitchy. Ferraro had been eight or nine at the time of her parent's arrest and only learned of the charges from the Post story. [127] As the primary date neared, her lead began to dwindle under the charges, and she released additional tax returns from the 1980s to try to defray the attacks. It would not be until 24 years later, when Senator John McCain chose Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate in 2008, that another woman would appear on a major partys ticket. When. Exit polling revealed that Ferraros presence on the ticket, like that of almost all vice presidential candidates, made little difference in voters choice. [17] Although her unit was supposed to turn over cases which were bound for trial to another division, she took an active role in trying some cases herself, and juries were persuaded by her summations. [53], Mondale selected Ferraro to be his vice-presidential candidate on July 12, 1984. Were edginginchingtowards parity for women in politics, with some plateaus along the way, Carroll says. Her attempts, and even her losses, have accomplished far beyond what others have accomplished by winning. "[58] Convention attendees were in tears during the speech, not just for its significance for women but for all those who had immigrated to America. "[91] Barbara Bush soon apologized, saying she had not meant to imply Ferraro was "a witch". And all this unfolded before the Democrats had even settled on a nominee. The White Populism of Geraldine Ferraro - The Atlantic FERRARO'S HUSBAND: COMPETITIVE, PRIVATE MAN - New York Times | V. My husband does not do business with organized-crime figures, Ferraro to the Los Angeles Times. [170] As she passed the age of 70, she was thankful for still being alive, and said "This is about as retired as I get, which is part time,"[170] and that if she fully retired, she would "go nuts". [177], In January 2000, Ferraro and Lynn Martina former Republican Congresswoman and U.S. Secretary of Labor who had played Ferraro in George H. W. Bush's debate preparations in 1984[178]co-founded, and served as co-presidents of, G&L Strategies, a management consulting firm underneath Weber McGinn. Theres no question that EMILYs List is a direct outgrowth of the political force we saw in women as voters and potential voters, says Howes. [142], President Clinton appointed Ferraro as a member of the United States delegation to United Nations Commission on Human Rights in January 1993. Unlike the slate of women in 2020, We didnt have a whole lot of people in the arsenal.), they landed on 48-year-old Geraldine Ferraro, an up-and-coming-star who represented New Yorks Ninth District. [199] She thought Obama had behaved in a sexist manner and that she might not vote for him. [207] A Newsweek cover story detected a change in how women voters responded to a female vice presidential candidate from Ferraro's time to Palin's, but Ferraro correctly predicted that the bounce that McCain received from the Palin pick would dissipate. [38] By 1983, she was regarded as one of the up-and-coming stars of the party. She is, in essence, something of a fairy-tale candidate., III. Memoirist Ferraro in Hindsight: One Vote for Feinstein When her daughter responded by noting that Obama was inspirational, Ferraro snapped, "What does he inspire you to do, leave your husband and three kids and your practice and go work for Doctors Without Borders?" (Many of these discussions, it should be said, happened while the Democrats had yet to choose a suitable man for the top of the ticket.) Here, compiled from sources including contemporaneousnews clippings,Ferraros memoir, and interviews with players who were part of this history, is a look back at Ferraros exhilarating, much-scrutinized path to becoming a political standard-bearer. [51] Women mentioned for the role included Ferraro and Mayor of San Francisco Dianne Feinstein,[52] both of whom were on Mondale's five-person short list. . [111], Members of Ferraro's family were indeed facing legal issues. [17] At the time, women prosecutors in the city were uncommon. Terms of Use [148] Regarding a previous China motion that had failed, Ferraro had told the commission, "Let us do what we were sent here to dodecide important questions of human rights on their merits, not avoid them. She stated, "I am absolutely thrilled. Ferraro quits Clinton campaign after Obama remarks [196][197][198] By early April, Ferraro said people were deluging her with negative comments and trying to get her removed from one of the boards she was on: "This has been the worst three weeks of my life. [218], Ferraro received honorary degrees during the 1980s and early 1990s, from Marymount Manhattan College (1982), New York University Law School (1984), Hunter College (1985), Plattsburgh College (1985), College of Boca Raton (1989), Virginia State University (1989), Muhlenberg College (1990), Briarcliffe College for Business (1990), and Potsdam College (1991). [141] Ferraro's second book, a collection of her speeches, was titled Changing History: Women, Power and Politics and was published in 1993. was often directed to her. Ger-ry! "[202] McCain and Palin ended up losing, but regardless of the 1984 or 2008 election result, Ferraro said that "Every time a woman runs, women win. [97] The ticket even lost Ferraro's congressional district, which had long been one of the more conservative districts in New York City; it tended to vote Republican in presidential races. The best-prepared of a well-prepared lot. Geraldine Ferraro - Wikipedia [137][138][139], Following the Senate primary loss, Ferraro became a managing partner in the New York office of Keck, Mahin & Cate, a Chicago-based law firm. Turkey earthquake: 2,000-year-old Gaziantep Castle damaged (83 percent of them are Democrats, 17 percent Republicans. [61] At first, journalists focused on her novelty as a woman and her poor family background, and their coverage was overwhelmingly favorable. Geraldine Anne Ferraro was born on Aug. 26, 1935, in the Hudson River city of Newburgh, N.Y., where she was the fourth child and only daughter of Dominick Ferraro, an Italian immigrant who owned a . During the veepstakes, I took advantage of the fact that people were talking about me, but I never, for one minute, really believed that it was going to happen, she remarks in the documentary Geraldine Ferraro: Paving the Way. [185] She was also a board member for New York Bancorp in the 1990s. "[147] Ferraro held the U.N. position into 1996. [24] While organizing community opposition to a proposed building, Ferraro met lawyer and Democratic figure Mario Cuomo, who became a political mentor. [96], On November 6, Mondale and Ferraro lost the general election in a landslide. [129] In addition, a report by an investigator for the New York State Organized Crime Task Force found its way to the media via a tip from a Holtzman aide; it said that Zaccaro had been seen meeting with the DiBernardo in 1985. [93] Ferraro's mother had never told her about his arrest;[93] she had been also arrested as an accomplice but released after her husband's death. My candidacy has said the days of discrimination are numbered. [126] Ferraro drew renewed attacks during the primary campaign from the media and her opponents over Zaccaro's finances and business relationships. In one, a medical worker in New York wrote: While on my way to work this morning, I turned on the car radio and heard what has got to be some of the best news Ive heard in a long time. Geraldine Ferraro and Walter Mondale during the 1984 Democratic National Convention. Kamala Harris is the nation's third woman vice presidential candidate from a major party. But I know full well the only reason Im on that short list is because Im a woman, she told the Washington Post), feather-duster platinum hair, her figure. Editor's Note, August 11, 2020: This article has been updated to reflect the selection of Kamala Harris as Joe Biden's running mate. [14] During her senior year she began dating John Zaccaro of Forest Hills, Queens, who had graduated from Iona College with a commission in the U.S. Marine Corps. [99] Of the tenth of voters who decided based on the vice-presidential candidates, 54percent went to MondaleFerraro,[81] establishing that Ferraro provided a net gain to the Democrats of 0.8percent. [35] Her Italian heritage also appealed to ethnic residents in the district. Echoing a statement she wrote about herself in 1988,[31] Ferraro said that "I was talking about historic candidacies and what I started off by saying (was that) if you go back to 1984 and look at my historic candidacy, which I had just talked about all these things, in 1984, if my name was Gerard Ferraro instead of Geraldine Ferraro, I would have never been chosen as a vice-presidential candidate. [214], When Hillary Clinton finally captured the Democratic nomination in the 2016 presidential election, becoming the first woman to do so for a major party, there was considerable media commentary recalling, and relating this to, Ferraro's breakthrough 32 years earlier. The 19th Amendment marks neither the beginning nor the end of the struggle for suffrage. In August of 1984, he was removed as a court-appointed conservator because he had lent money from the estate to his own business, then repaid it. Abrams was considered the early front-runner. Here are some highlights: Only a little less than a year before, Geraldine Ferraro had journeyed to this city to accept the Democratic nomination as the first woman to run for vice president of. Shes too bitchy, his press secretary Peter Teeley told the Wall Street Journal. Perhaps rupturing the glass ceiling could generate enough enthusiasm to shake up the race in the Democrats favor. The papers were generated in the course of campaigning, on the floor of Congress, and in Ferraro's offices in Washington and her home district of Queens. Roberts continued, Maybe thats the wrong thing to do. [152] The other candidates were Congressman Charles Schumer and New York City Public Advocate Mark J. [75], A week after her previous statement, Ferraro said Zaccaro had changed his mind and would indeed release his tax records,[72] which was done on August 20. [184], Ferraro was a member of the board of directors of Goodrich Petroleum beginning in August 2003. IV. The Rise of Geraldine Ferraro - The Washington Post [188] Ferraro became livid and distraught when one of her daughters voted for Obama in the Massachusetts primary, saying "What is the matter with you? [49], In all, Ferraro served three two-year terms, being re-elected in 1980 and 1982. Learn about this complex history and the women who propelled it. [7] Ferraro's mother soon invested and lost the remainder of the family's money, forcing the family to move to a low-income area in the South Bronx while Ferraro's mother worked in the garment industry to support them. I was kvelling.. Ferraro did not hold elected office again. [143] She attended the June 1993 World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna as the alternate U.S. It depicts the life story of her mother and immigrant grandmother; it also portrays the rest of her family, and is a memoir of her early life, but includes relatively little about her political career. In doing so Ferraro also became the first widely recognized Italian American to be a major-party national nominee. All were feminists active in Democratic politics: Joanne Howes, the executive director of the Womens Vote Project; Joan McLean, a House staffer; and Nanette Falkenberg, the executive director of the National Abortion Rights Activist League (NARAL). After the convention, the polls sloped up momentarily, offering a glimmer of hope. The Ferraro-Holtzman fighting of the campaign was viewed as a disaster by many feminists, however, with Ferraro denied her political comeback while Holtzman also politically damaged herself. [90] In the days leading up to the debate, Second Lady of the United States Barbara Bush had publicly referred to Ferraro as "that four-million-dollarI can't say it, but it rhymes with 'rich'. "[122] She also took care of her mother, who suffered from emphysema for several years before her death in early 1990. Her husband John Zaccaro had pleaded guilty in January 1985, to fraudulently obtaining bank financing in a real estate transaction and had been sentenced to 150hours of community service. March 26, 2011, 9:43 AM. [nb 1] She was also a journalist, author, and businesswoman. That's. [81] Reagan captured 55percent of women voters[98] and about the same share of Catholic voters, the latter being the highest level yet for a Republican presidential candidate. [182], In December 2006, Ferraro announced her support for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Privacy Statement Geraldine Anne Ferraro (August 26, 1935 March 26, 2011) was an American politician, diplomat, and attorney. After studying gargantuan briefing books prepared by advisers like future secretary of state Madeleine Albright, she rehearsed rigorously. 290 - ACE Academy for Scholars at the Geraldine Ferraro Campus is a highly rated, public school located in RIDGEWOOD, NY. Ferraro had drawn attention, Sheila Caudle wrote in Ms. Magazines July 1984 issue, because, She is the sort of pragmatic politician that the voting populaceand the men in the back roomscould find most palatable: Attractive, but not beauty-pageant beautifulA modern career woman, but one steeped in Old World values. If you purchase an item through these links, we receive a commission. [161] Ferraro was connected with many other political and non-profit organizations. [60], Ferraro gained immediate, large-scale media attention. Mondale, with Ferraro at his side after a covert late-night flight, told the assembled press in St. Paul, I looked for the best vice president, and I found her in Gerry., Thank you, Vice President Mondale, said Ferraro after his speech. Ferraro, first female vice president candidate, dies at 75 - NBC News [36] The media also reported on the FEC's past investigation into Ferraro's 1978 campaign funds. [6] Her father died of a heart attack in May 1944, when she was eight. [81] At it, Ferraro criticized Reagan's initial refusal to support an extension to the Voting Rights Act.