Badass Birthdays
Today in 1880, Jeanette Rankin was born.
Who is she, you're asking? Why is she a badass, you wonder? Well, let me tell you.
Jeanette Rankin was the first woman hold federal office in the United States. She was elected to the House of Representatives from Montana in 1916. And yes, that makes her something of a badass, albeit a more note-worthy person than just a badass one.
But, Ms. Rankin only served one term from March 1917 to March 1919. However, years later she was AGAIN elected to House from Montana, in 1940. And she served only one term again from Jan 1941 until Jan 1943. Again, usual and note-worthy but not exactly badass.
But you see, Ms. Rankin was a lifelong pacifist. And she voted against the US entering World War I in 1917, and later she was the only Congressional vote, in either House of Congress, to voted against the US entering World War II in December of 1941. She is the only person in Congress to ever vote against entering both World Wars. And at a time when it was NOT popular to vote against entering the wars. But she stuck to her convictions and voted against them, even when it wasn't the most political, or even the safest, thing to do. (in fact, in 1941, after voting again the war, she had to take refuge in a telephone booth in the Capitol building to get away from an angry crowd and had to stay there until the Capitol Police could rescue her.
Putting your own life in danger to vote your convictions is definitely a badass move!
POLT
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