Ferraro, Geraldine, 1935-2011

Variant names
Detailed View Revision History Sources

Hide Profile

Geraldine Anne "Gerry" Ferraro (August 26, 1935 – March 26, 2011) was the first female vice-presidential nominee representing a major American political party. She served in the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1985 and in 1984 was the Democratic Party's vice presidential nominee, running alongside former vice president Walter Mondale. She was also an ambassador, attorney, journalist, author, and businesswoman.

Ferraro grew up in New York City and worked as a public school teacher before training as a lawyer. She joined the Queens County District Attorney's Office in 1974, heading the new Special Victims Bureau that dealt with sex crimes, child abuse, and domestic violence. In 1978 she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where she rose rapidly in the party hierarchy while focusing on legislation to bring equity for women in the areas of wages, pensions, and retirement plans.

In 1984, former vice president and presidential candidate Walter Mondale, seen as an underdog, selected Ferraro to be his running mate in the upcoming election. Ferraro became the only Italian American to be a major-party national nominee in addition to being the first woman. The positive polling the Mondale-Ferraro ticket received when she joined soon faded, as damaging questions arose about her and her businessman husband's finances and wealth and her Congressional disclosure statements. In the general election, Mondale and Ferraro were defeated in a landslide by incumbent President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George H. W. Bush.

Ferraro ran campaigns for a seat in the United States Senate from New York in 1992 and 1998, both times starting as the front-runner for her party's nomination before losing in the primary election. She served as the Ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights from 1993 until 1996 during the presidential administration of Bill Clinton. She also continued her career as a journalist, author, and businesswoman, and served in the 2008 presidential campaign of Senator Hillary Clinton. Ferraro died on March 26, 2011 from multiple myeloma, 12 years after being diagnosed.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Gore Vidal papers, 1850-2020 (inclusive), 1936-2008 (bulk) Houghton Library
referencedIn Papers, 1884-1998 (inclusive), 1929-1988 (bulk) Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
creatorOf Ferraro, Geraldine. Geraldine Ferraro : commercials , 1984 University of Oklahoma, Political Community Archives
referencedIn Videotapes, 1974, 1980, 1987-1993, n.d. Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn National Organization for Women. Videotape collection of the National Organization for Women. 1977-1988. Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Dominic J. Badolato Papers, undated, 1918-2003 Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Center.
referencedIn Tom McCall Forum Collection, 1982-2007 Pacific University Archives
referencedIn Records of the Office of the Staff Secretary. 1976 - 1981. Presidential Files. 1977 - 1981. 9/21/78 Jimmy Carter Library
referencedIn Barbara Roberts Papers, 1870-2011, 1978-2010 Portland State University LibrarySpecial Collections & University Archives
referencedIn Records of the Office of Counsel to the President (Reagan Administration). 1/20/1981 - 1/20/1989. John Roberts' Subject Files, 1982 - 1986 Ronald Reagan Library
referencedIn Records of the Office of the Staff Secretary. 1976 - 1981. Presidential Files. 1977 - 1981. 9/4/80 Jimmy Carter Library
referencedIn Douglas Menuez photography collection, 1986-2006 Stanford University. Department of Special Collections and University Archives
creatorOf Ferraro, Geraldine. Geraldine Ferraro collection, 1984. Texas Woman's University Library, Mary Evelyn Blagg-Huey Library
referencedIn Andreĭ Sakharov papers, 1852-2002 (inclusive), 1960-1990 (bulk). Houghton Library
referencedIn Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Clay County (Minn.). Records. Tri-College Library
referencedIn Records of the Office of Speechwriting (Clinton Administration), 1993 - 2001. Alison (Lissa) Muscatine's Files, 1993 - 1997 William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
referencedIn Focus on Women. [Show nos. 1-438]. [videorecording] / Produced in the studios of Cox Cable New York. Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn National Organization for Women. Videotape collection of the National Organization for Women. 1977-1988. Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Harvard Law School Forums Records Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn [Videotape collection] [videorecording], 1984-1990 Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Democratic-NPL Party (N.D.). North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party records, 1906-2009. State Historical Society of North Dakota State Archives
creatorOf Ferraro, Geraldine. The Geraldine Ferraro papers, 1979-1998. Marymount Manhattan College Library, Thomas J. Shanahan Library
referencedIn Guide to the Daily Worker and Daily World Photographs Collection, 1920-2001 Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
referencedIn Walker, Diana, photographic archive, 1975-2000. University of Texas Libraries
referencedIn NOW Legal Defense & Education Fund. [Videotape collection: reels 1-48] [videorecording]. Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Chisholm, Shirley, 1924-2005. Shirley Chisholm papers, 1963-1994. Rutgers University
referencedIn New York (State). Governor. Public information photographs, 1910-1992 (bulk 1945-1982). New York State Archives
referencedIn William R. Ratchford Papers, undated, 1961-1986. Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Center.
referencedIn Holtzman, Elizabeth. [Videotape collection] [videorecording]. Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn National Women's Political Caucus (U.S.). Records, 1970-1993 (inclusive), 1977-1988 (bulk). Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Peterson, Esther, 1906-1997. Papers, 1884-1998 (inclusive), 1929-1998 (bulk). Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Records of, Sojourner, (inclusive), (bulk), 1920-2004, 1975-2002 Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Records of the U.S. Information Agency, 1900 - 2003. Video Recordings from the "Worldnet Today" Program Series, ca. 1980 - ca. 1994 National Archives at College Park
referencedIn Records of the National Association of Women Judges, 1979-1997 (inclusive), 1979-1989 (bulk) Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Focus on Women. Videotapes, 1983-1993 Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Additional papers of Betty Friedan, 1941-2006 (inclusive), 1980-2000 (bulk) Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Lana Pollack Papers, 1979-2010 Bentley Historical Library
referencedIn Meyer, Anne Heineman, 1925-. Anne Heineman Meyer papers, 1958-1988 [manuscript]. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
referencedIn Steinman, Wayne. Wayne Steinman papers, 1982-1990, 1984-1989 (bulk). New York State Historical Documents Inventory
referencedIn Political campaigns, U.S. presidential, miscellany, 1984. Cornell University Library
referencedIn Menuez, Doug. Douglas Menuez photography collection, circa 1986-2006. Stanford University. Department of Special Collections and University Archives
referencedIn Republican National Committee (U.S.). Opposition Research Group. Opposition Research Group records, 1960-1984. Stanford University, Hoover Institution Library
referencedIn Records, 1967-1990 Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Records of the First Lady's Office (Clinton Administration), 1993 - 2001. Laura Schiller's Files, 1993 - 2001 William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
referencedIn Opposition Research Group records, 1960-1984 Hoover Institution Archives
referencedIn National Organization for Women. Savannah Chapter. National Organization for Women, Savannah Chapter records, 1970-1984. Georgia Historical Society
creatorOf Donahey, Gertrude Walton, 1908-. Papers. Ohio History Connection, Ohio Historical Society
referencedIn Diana H. Walker Photographic Archive 99-224; 2002-056; 2003-087; 2004-107; 2004-193; 2009-236; 2011-376., ca. 1975-2000 Dolph Briscoe Center for American History
Role Title Holding Repository

Filters:

Connection Graph Radial Graph
Relation Name
associatedWith Badolato, Dominic J. person
associatedWith Betty Friedan person
associatedWith Chisholm, Shirley, 1924-2005. person
associatedWith Communist Party of the United States of America. corporateBody
associatedWith Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Clay County (Minn.) corporateBody
associatedWith Democratic-NPL Party (N.D.) corporateBody
associatedWith Democratic Party (U.S.) corporateBody
associatedWith Donahey, Gertrude Walton, 1908- person
associatedWith Elizabeth Holtzman, 1941- person
associatedWith ESTHER (EGGERTSEN) PETERSON, 1906-1997 person
alumnusOrAlumnaOf Fordham University. School of Law. corporateBody
correspondedWith Harvard Law School Forum corporateBody
associatedWith Holtzman, Elizabeth. person
alumnusOrAlumnaOf Marymount Manhattan College corporateBody
associatedWith Menuez, Doug. person
associatedWith Meyer, Anne Heineman, 1925- person
associatedWith Mondale, Walter F., 1928- person
associatedWith National Association of Women Judges (U.S.) corporateBody
associatedWith National Organization for Women person
associatedWith National Organization for Women. corporateBody
associatedWith National Organization for Women. Savannah Chapter. corporateBody
associatedWith National Women's Political Caucus (U.S.) corporateBody
associatedWith New York (State). Governor. corporateBody
associatedWith NOW Legal Defense & Education Fund. corporateBody
associatedWith Peterson, Esther, 1906-1997. person
associatedWith Pollack, Lana, 1942- person
employeeOf Queens County (N.Y.). District Attorney Office. corporateBody
associatedWith Ratchford, William R. person
associatedWith Ratchford, William R. person
associatedWith Republican National Committee (U.S.). Opposition Research Group. corporateBody
associatedWith Roberts, Barbara, 1936- person
associatedWith Sakharov, Andreĭ, 1921-1989 person
associatedWith Sojourner (Cambridge, Mass.) corporateBody
associatedWith Steinman, Wayne. person
associatedWith Tom McCall Forum corporateBody
memberOf United States. Congress. House of Representatives corporateBody
associatedWith University of Oklahoma. Political Commercial Archive. corporateBody
associatedWith Vidal, Gore, 1925- person
associatedWith Walker, Diana (Diana H.), person
associatedWith Walker, Diana H. person
associatedWith Women's Equity Action League corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
Newburgh NY US
Boston MA US
Tarrytown NY US
New York City NY US
Saltaire NY US
Washington, D. C. DC US
Subject
United States
Advertising, political
Campaign literature, 1984
Legislators
Presidents
Television advertising
Vice
Vice
Women
Occupation
Ambassadors
Teachers
Authors
Businesswomen
Diplomats
Journalists
Lawyers
Politicians
Representatives, U.S. Congress
Activity

Person

Birth 1935-08-26

Death 2011-03-26

Female

Americans

English

Related Descriptions
LC/NACO National Archives and Records Administration Virtual International Authority File Wikidata WorldCat Identities
Search Elsewhere
ArchiveGrid Search DPLA Search
Information

Permalink: http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6vn5270

Ark ID: w6vn5270

SNAC ID: 83390398