Born in Montana on June 11, 1880, Rankin was the oldest of six children, who had a reputation for doing things that, at the time, girls just didn't do. She would often help the ranch hands with their machinery, and once, actually built a sidewalk single-handedly, to help her father rent a building.
Graduating in 1902 from the University of Montana with a bachelor's degree in Biology, Rankin was undecided on where to go next. She attempted both furniture design and dressmaking, though neither one was right for her. From 1908-1909, she attended the New York School of Philanthropy, and afterwards moved to Spokane, Washington. There, she worked as a social worker for a short amount of time, before attending the University of Washington and involving herself in the woman's suffrage movement.
Elected to the House of Representatives in 1916, she stated that "I may be the first woman member of Congress, but I won't be the last." She served two terms in Congress, both coinciding with each World War. She helped pass the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote, and was the only member of Congress who voted against declaring war on Japan after the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.
After her terms in Congress, Rankin did a lot of traveling, especially to India, where she studied the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. As the second wave of feminism began to take shape in the 1960's and 70's, Rankin was seen as an inspiration and in 1968, the Jeannette Rankin Brigade was formed by a coalition of women's peace groups.
Passing away at the age of 92 in 1973, Rankin's legacy rests largely on her pacifism. Though, as she herself said, "I want to be remembered as the only woman who ever voted to give women the right to vote."
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