Women in the United States House of Representatives

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Women have served in the United States House of Representatives since the 1917 entrance of Jeannette Rankin from Montana, a member of the Republican Party. 345 women have served as U.S. Representatives and seven more women have sat as non-voting delegates. As of January 3, 2021, there are 122 women in the U.S. House of Representatives (counting four female non-voting delegates), making women 27.2% of the total of U.S. Representatives. ^[1] Of the 352 women who have served in the House, 231 have been Democrats (including four from U.S. territories or the District of Columbia) and 121 have been Republicans (including three from U.S. territories, including pre-statehood Hawaii). One woman has served in the highest office of the House, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi from California, a member of the Democratic Party.

Women have been elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from 46 of the 50 states. The states that have not elected a woman to the U.S. House of Representatives are Alaska, Mississippi, North Dakota, and Vermont—though Alaska, Mississippi, and North Dakota have elected women to the United States Senate. Women have also been sent to Congress from 5 of the 6 territories of the United States; the only territory that has not sent a woman to the U.S. House of Representatives is the Northern Mariana Islands. California has elected more women to Congress than any other state, with 44 U.S. Representatives elected since 1923. To date, no woman who has served in the House has ever previously been a senator, been elected to represent more than one state in non-consecutive elections, switched parties, or served as a third party member in her career, though one was reelected as an Independent.

Firsts

Sometimes called the "Lady of the House", Jeannette Rankin entered the U.S. House of Representatives in 1917 as the first woman in Congress.

Nancy Pelosi, 52nd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (2007–2011, 2019–), the only woman to hold the position.

Jeannette Rankin entered the U.S. House of Representatives in 1917 as the first woman in either chamber of Congress. ^[2]

Florence Prag Kahn entered the U.S. House of Representatives in 1925 as the first Jewish and thus non-Christian woman in either chamber of Congress. ^[3]

U.S. Representative Vera Buchanan died in 1955, making her the first woman in either chamber to die in office. ^[4]

Patsy Mink, an Asian American, entered the U.S. House of Representatives in 1965 as the first woman of color in either chamber of Congress. ^{[5] [6]}

In 1969, U.S. Representative Charlotte Reid became the first woman to wear pants in the U.S. House of Representatives or U.S. Senate. ^[7]

Shirley Chisholm entered the U.S. House of Representatives in 1969 as the first African-American woman in either chamber of Congress. ^[8]

In 1973, U.S. Representative Yvonne Brathwaite Burke became the first member of the U.S. House of Representatives or U.S. Senate to give birth while in office, and she was the first person to be granted maternity leave by the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, with the birth of her daughter Autumn. ^{[9] [10]}

The gym of the U.S. House of Representatives (with the exception of its swimming pool) first opened to women in 1985, the gym having previously been male-only. The swimming pool opened to women in 2009, the pool having previously been male-only. ^[11]

Barbara Vucanovich entered the U.S. House of Representatives in 1983 as the first Hispanic woman or Latina in either chamber of Congress.

In late 1990, Hawaii became the first state with a House delegation of all women of color, Patsy Mink and Pat Saiki.

Jo Ann Emerson re-entered the House of Representatives in 1997 as the first and, so far, only woman (re)elected as neither a Democrat nor a Republican from any state to either chamber of Congress. ^[12] Initially, she was specially elected as a Republican late in the 104th Congress before leaving the party for a while to run as a politically unaffiliated candidate for reelection to a full term in the 1996 election and rejoined the Republicans early in the 105th Congress.

Tammy Baldwin entered the U.S. House of Representatives in 1999 as the first openly gay woman in either chamber of Congress. ^{[13] [14] [15]}

Nancy Pelosi became the first female House Minority Whip in 2002. ^[16] She went on to become the first and only to date female Speaker of the United States House of Representatives in 2007. ^[17]

Also in 2007, Mazie Hirono entered the U.S. House of Representatives as the first female Buddhist in either chamber of Congress.

In 2011, the U.S. House of Representatives got its first women's bathroom near the chamber (Room H-211 of the U.S. Capitol). ^[18]

Tulsi Gabbard entered the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013 as the first Hindu person in either chamber of Congress. ^{[19] [20]}

Also in 2013, Kyrsten Sinema entered the U.S. House of Representatives as the first openly bisexual woman in either chamber of Congress.

In the 2018 general elections, there was a wave of firsts elected to the United States House of Representatives for the 116th Congress. A record-breaking 103 women were elected or re-elected into the United States House of Representatives, causing many to call it the "Year of the Woman". ^[21] Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib became the first Muslim women ever elected to either house of Congress, with Tlaib the first Palestinian-American woman elected to Congress and Omar the first Somali American of either sex to be elected. Angie Craig became the first lesbian mother to be elected to Congress. Sharice Davids and Deb Haaland became the first Native American women elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

In 2020, Republican Stephanie Bice was elected to become the first Iranian American and first woman of Iranian parentage in Congress, ^[22] and her fellow Republican, Yvette Herrell, was also elected as the first Cherokee woman in Congress. Additional Republicans Michelle Steel and Young Kim, and Democrat Marilyn Strickland were elected as the first Korean American women in Congress.

List of states represented by women

State	Current Reps.	Previous Reps.	Total	U.S. House seats
Alabama	1	2	3	7
Alaska	0	0	0	1
Arizona	2	5	7	9
Arkansas	0	4	4	4
California	19	25	44	53
Colorado	2	3	5	7
Connecticut	2	6	8	5
Delaware	1	0	1	1
Florida	7	13	20	27
Georgia	4	5	9	14
Hawaii	0	6	6	2
Idaho	0	2	2	2
Illinois	5	13	18	18
Indiana	2	6	8	9
Iowa	3	1	4	4
Kansas	1	5	6	4
Kentucky	0	2	2	6
Louisiana	0	2	2	6
Maine	1	2	3	2
Maryland	0	8	8	8
Massachusetts	3	4	7	9
Michigan	6	7	13	14
Minnesota	4	2	6	8
Mississippi	0	0	0	4
Missouri	2	5	7	8
Montana	0	1	1	1
Nebraska	0	1	1	3
Nevada	2	3	5	4
New Hampshire	1	1	2	2
New Jersey	2	5	7	12
New Mexico	2	4	6	3
New York	8	21	29	27
North Carolina	4	4	8	13
North Dakota	0	0	0	1
Ohio	2	8	10	16
Oklahoma	1	3	4	5
Oregon	1	3	4	5
Pennsylvania	4	6	10	18
Rhode Island	0	1	1	2
South Carolina	1	5	6	7
South Dakota	0	2	2	1
Tennessee	1	6	7	9
Texas	7	3	10	36
Utah	0	4	4	4
Vermont	0	0	0	1
Virginia	3	4	7	11
Washington	6	5	11	10
West Virginia	1	2	3	3
Wisconsin	1	1	2	8
Wyoming	1	2	3	1

Widow's succession

Mae Ella Nolan was the first woman elected to her husband's seat in Congress, which is sometimes known as the widow's succession. In the early years of women in Congress, the seat was held only until the next election, and the women retired after that single Congress. She thereby became a placeholder, merely finishing out her late husband's elected term. As the years progressed, however, more and more of these widow successors sought re-election. These women began to win their own elections.

38 widows have won their husbands' seats in the House, and eight have won their husbands' seats in the Senate. The only current example is Representative Doris Matsui of California. The most successful example is Margaret Chase Smith of Maine, who served a total of 32 years in both houses and became the first woman elected to both the House and the Senate. She began the end of McCarthyism with a famous speech, "The Declaration of Conscience", became the first major-party female presidential candidate and the first woman to receive votes at a national nominating convention, and was the first (and highest ranking to date) woman to enter the Republican Party Senate leadership (in the third-highest post of Chairwoman of the Senate Republican Conference). The third woman elected to Congress, Winnifred Huck, was similarly elected to her father's seat.

Number of women

Number of women in the United States House of Representatives and Senate by Congress

Women U.S. Representatives of the 113th Congress

A gradient map showing the current numbers of each gender in the US House of Representatives by state. (Last updated: January 10, 2021)

  Only male representatives

  Even male/female split

  Only female representatives

The number of women who sought and won election to Congress in each election cycle from 1974 to 2018.

Number of women in the United States Congress (1917–2023): ^{[25] [26]}

Congress	Years	in Congress	%
65th	1917–1919	1	0.2%
66th	1919–1921	0	0%
67th	1921–1923	4	0.7%
68th	1923–1925	1	0.2%
69th	1925–1927	3	0.6%
70th	1927–1929	5	0.9%
71st	1929–1931	9	1.7%
72nd	1931–1933	8	1.5%
73rd	1933–1935	8	1.5%
74th	1935–1937	8	1.5%
75th	1937–1939	9	1.7%
76th	1939–1941	9	1.7%
77th	1941–1943	10	1.9%
78th	1943–1945	9	1.7%
79th	1945–1947	11	2.1%
80th	1947–1949	8	1.5%
81st	1949–1951	10	1.9%
82nd	1951–1953	11	2.1%
83rd	1953–1955	15	2.8%
84th	1955–1957	18	3.4%
85th	1957–1959	16	3.0%
86th	1959–1961	19	3.5%
87th	1961–1963	20	3.7%
88th	1963–1965	14	2.6%
89th	1965–1967	13	2.4%
90th	1967–1969	12	2.2%
91st	1969–1971	11	2.1%
92nd	1971–1973	15	2.8%
93rd	1973–1975	16	3.0%
94th	1975–1977	19	3.6%
95th	1977–1979	20	3.7%
96th	1979–1981	17	3.2%
97th	1981–1983	23	4.3%
98th	1983–1985	24	4.5%
99th	1985–1987	25	4.7%
100th	1987–1989	26	4.9%
101st	1989–1991	31	5.8%
102nd	1991–1993	33	6.2%
103rd	1993–1995	55	10.3%
104th	1995–1997	59	11.0%
105th	1997–1999	66	12.3%
106th	1999–2001	67	12.5%
107th	2001–2003	75	14.0%
108th	2003–2005	77	14.4%
109th	2005–2007	85	15.9%
110th	2007–2009	94	17.6%
111th	2009–2011	96	17.9%
112th	2011–2013	96	17.9%
113th	2013–2015	101 [27]	19.1%
114th	2015–2017	104	19.4%
115th	2017–2019	104	19.4%
116th	2019–2021	127	23.7%
117th	2021–2023	144	26.9%

Number of women in the United States House of Representatives by party

Notes: "% of party" is taken from voting members at the beginning of the Congress, while numbers and "% of women" include all female House members of the given Congress

Congress	Years	Women total	Republican	% of women	% of party	Democratic	% of women	% of party
65th	1917–1919	1	1	100%	0.5%	0	0.0%	0.0%
66th	1919–1921	0	0	0.0%	0.0%	0	0.0%	0.0%
67th	1921–1923	3	3	100%	0.3%	0	0.0%	0.0%
68th	1923–1925	1	1	100%	0.4%	0	0.0%	0.0%
69th	1925–1927	3	2	66.7%	0.4%	1	33.3%	0.5%
70th	1927–1929	5	3	60.0%	1.3%	2	40.0%	0.5%
71st	1929–1931	9	5	55.6%	1.9%	4	44.4%	1.8%
72nd	1931–1933	7	3	42.9%	1.4%	4	57.1%	1.4%
73rd	1933–1935	7	3	42.9%	1.7%	4	57.1%	1.0%
74th	1935–1937	6	2	33.3%	1.9%	4	66.7%	1.2%
75th	1937–1939	6	1	16.7%	1.1%	5	83.3%	1.2%
76th	1939–1941	8	4	50.0%	1.2%	4	50.0%	0.8%
77th	1941–1943	9	5	55.6%	3.1%	4	44.4%	0.7%
78th	1943–1945	8	6	75.0%	2.9%	2	25.0%	0.5%
79th	1945–1947	11	5	45.5%	2.6%	6	54.5%	1.7%
80th	1947–1949	7	5	71.4%	2.0%	2	28.6%	1.1%
81st	1949–1951	9	4	44.4%	2.3%	5	55.6%	1.5%
82nd	1951–1953	10	6	60.0%	3.0%	4	40.0%	0.9%
83rd	1953–1955	12	7	58.3%	2.7%	5	41.7%	2.3%
84th	1955–1957	17	7	41.2%	3.0%	10	58.8%	3.4%
85th	1957–1959	15	6	40.0%	3.0%	9	60.0%	3.8%
86th	1959–1961	17	8	47.1%	5.2%	9	52.9%	2.8%
87th	1961–1963	18	7	38.9%	3.5%	11	61.1%	3.4%
88th	1963–1965	12	6	50.0%	2.8%	6	50.0%	2.3%
89th	1965–1967	11	4	36.4%	2.9%	7	63.6%	2.0%
90th	1967–1969	11	5	45.5%	2.7%	6	54.5%	2.4%
91st	1969–1971	10	4	40.0%	2.1%	6	60.0%	2.5%
92nd	1971–1973	13	3	23.1%	1.1%	10	76.9%	3.5%
93rd	1973–1975	16	2	12.5%	1.0%	14	87.5%	5.0%
94th	1975–1977	19	5	26.3%	2.8%	14	73.7%	4.8%
95th	1977–1979	18	5	27.8%	3.5%	13	72.2%	4.5%
96th	1979–1981	16	5	31.3%	3.2%	11	68.8%	4.0%
97th	1981–1983	21	10	47.6%	4.7%	11	52.4%	3.7%
98th	1983–1985	22	9	40.9%	5.5%	13	59.1%	4.4%
99th	1985–1987	23	11	47.8%	6.0%	12	52.2%	4.3%
100th	1987–1989	23	11	47.8%	6.0%	12	52.2%	4.3%
101st	1989–1991	29	13	44.8%	6.0%	16	55.2%	5.6%
102nd	1991–1993	30	9	30.0%	5.5%	21	70.0%	7.0%
103rd	1993–1995	48	12	25.0%	6.8%	36	75.0%	13.6%
104th	1995–1997	50	18	36.0%	7.4%	32	64.0%	14.7%
105th	1997–1999	56	17	30.4%	7.5%	39	69.6%	18.8%
106th	1999–2001	58	17	29.3%	7.6%	41	70.7%	18.5%
107th	2001–2003	62	18	29.0%	8.1%	44	71.0%	19.0%
108th	2003–2005	63	21	33.3%	9.2%	42	66.7%	18.5%
109th	2005–2007	71	25	35.2%	9.9%	46	64.8%	20.9%
110th	2007–2009	78	21	26.9%	9.9%	57	73.1%	20.2%
111th	2009–2011	79	17	21.5%	9.6%	62	78.5%	21.5%
112th	2011–2013	79	24	30.4%	9.9%	55	69.6%	23.8%
113th	2013–2015	82	20	24.4%	8.2%	62	75.6%	29.0%
114th	2015–2017	88	23	26.2%	8.9%	65	73.8%	33.0%
115th	2017–2019	89	25	25.3%	8.7%	64	74.7%	32.0%
116th	2019–2021	102	13	12.7%	6.5%	89	87.3%	37.9%
117th	2021–2023	122	30	24.6%	13.3%	92	75.4%	40.5%

Percentage of women by party and year

Showing the data tabulated below as a graph

List of female members

This is a complete list of women who have served as U.S. Representatives or delegates of the United States House of Representatives. Members are grouped by the apportionment period during which such member commenced serving. This list includes women who served in the past and who continue to serve in the present.

Female members whose service began between 1917 and 1932

Portrait	Name (lifespan)	Party	District	Term start	Term end	Reason(s) for leaving
	Jeannette Rankin (1880–1973) [lower-alpha 1]	Republican	Montana at-large	March 4, 1917	March 4, 1919	Retired to run unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for the 1918 United States Senate election in Montana
			Montana's 1st	January 3, 1941	January 3, 1943	Retired
	Alice Robertson (1854–1931) [lower-alpha 2]	Republican	Oklahoma's 2nd	March 4, 1921	March 4, 1923	Lost reelection
	Winnifred Huck (1882–1936) [lower-alpha 3]	Republican	Illinois at-large	November 7, 1922	March 4, 1923	Lost renomination
	Mae Nolan (1886–1973) [lower-alpha 4]	Republican	California's 5th	January 23, 1923	March 4, 1925	Retired
	Florence Kahn (1866–1948) [lower-alpha 5]	Republican	California's 4th	March 4, 1925	January 3, 1937	Lost reelection
	Mary Norton (1875–1959) [lower-alpha 6]	Democratic	New Jersey's 12th & 13th	March 4, 1925	January 3, 1951	Retired
	Edith Rogers (1881–1960) [lower-alpha 7]	Republican	Massachusetts's 5th	June 30, 1925	September 10, 1960	Died in office
	Katherine G. Langley (1888–1948) [lower-alpha 8]	Republican	Kentucky's 7th	March 4, 1927	March 4, 1931	Retired
	Pearl Oldfield (1876–1962) [lower-alpha 9]	Democratic	Arkansas's 2nd	January 9, 1929	March 4, 1931	Retired
	Ruth McCormick (1880–1944) [lower-alpha 10]	Republican	Illinois at-large	March 4, 1929	March 4, 1931	Retired to run unsuccessfully for the 1930 United States Senate election in Illinois
	Ruth Owen (1885–1954) [lower-alpha 11]	Democratic	Florida's 4th	March 4, 1929	March 4, 1933	Lost renomination [lower-alpha 12]
	Ruth Pratt (1877–1965)	Republican	New York's 17th	March 4, 1929	March 4, 1933	Lost reelection
	Effiegene Wingo (1883–1962) [lower-alpha 13]	Democratic	Arkansas's 4th	November 4, 1930	March 4, 1933	Retired
	Willa Eslick (1878–1961) [lower-alpha 14]	Democratic	Tennessee's 7th	August 14, 1932	March 4, 1933	Not eligible for reelection having not qualified for nomination

Female members whose service began between 1933 and 1942

Portrait	Name (lifespan)	Party	District	Term start	Term end	Reason(s) for leaving
	Virginia E. Jenckes (1877–1975)	Democratic	Indiana's 6th	March 4, 1933	January 3, 1939	Lost reelection
	Kathryn O'Loughlin-McCarthy (1894–1952)	Democratic	Kansas's 6th	March 4, 1933	January 3, 1935	Lost reelection
	Isabella Greenway (1886–1953)	Democratic	Arizona at-large	October 2, 1933	January 3, 1937	Retired
	Marian W. Clarke (1880–1953) [lower-alpha 15]	Republican	New York's 34th	December 28, 1933	January 3, 1935	Retired
	Caroline O'Day (1869–1943)	Democratic	New York at-large	January 3, 1935	January 3, 1943	Retired
	Nan Honeyman (1881–1970)	Democratic	Oregon's 3rd	January 3, 1937	January 3, 1939	Lost reelection
	Elizabeth Gasque (1886–1989) [lower-alpha 16]	Democratic	South Carolina's 6th	September 13, 1938	January 3, 1939	Retired
	Jessie Sumner (1898–1994)	Republican	Illinois's 18th	January 3, 1939	January 3, 1947	Retired
	Clara G. McMillan (1894–1976) [lower-alpha 17]	Democratic	South Carolina's 1st	November 7, 1939	January 3, 1941	Retired
	Frances P. Bolton (1885–1977) [lower-alpha 18]	Republican	Ohio's 22nd	February 27, 1940	January 3, 1969	Lost reelection
	Margaret Chase Smith (1897–1995) [lower-alpha 19]	Republican	Maine's 2nd	June 3, 1940	January 3, 1949	Retired to run successfully for the 1948 United States Senate election in Maine, thus becoming the first woman elected to the United States Senate in a general election without previously being appointed, elected in a special election, or succeeding her husband
	Florence Gibbs (1890–1964) [lower-alpha 20]	Democratic	Georgia's 8th	October 1, 1940	January 3, 1941	Retired
	Katharine Byron (1903–1976) [lower-alpha 21]	Democratic	Maryland's 6th	May 27, 1941	January 3, 1943	Retired
	Veronica Boland (1899–1982) [lower-alpha 22]	Democratic	Pennsylvania's 11th	November 3, 1942	January 3, 1943	Retired

Female members whose service began between 1943 and 1952

Portrait	Name (lifespan)	Party	District	Term start	Term end	Reason(s) for leaving
	Clare Boothe Luce (1903–1987)	Republican	Connecticut's 4th	January 3, 1943	January 3, 1947	Retired [lower-alpha 23]
	Winifred C. Stanley (1909–1996)	Republican	New York at-large	January 3, 1943	January 3, 1945	Retired
	Willa L. Fulmer (1884–1968) [lower-alpha 24]	Democratic	South Carolina's 2nd	November 7, 1944	January 3, 1945	Retired
	Emily Douglas (1899–1994)	Democratic	Illinois at-large	January 3, 1945	January 3, 1947	Lost reelection
	Helen Gahagan-Douglas (1900–1980)	Democratic	California's 14th	January 3, 1945	January 3, 1951	Retired to run unsuccessfully for the 1950 United States Senate election in California
	Chase G. Woodhouse (1890–1984)	Democratic	Connecticut's 2nd	January 3, 1945	January 3, 1947	Lost reelection
				January 3, 1949	January 3, 1951	Lost reelection
	Helen Mankin (1896–1956)	Democratic	Georgia's 5th	February 12, 1946	January 3, 1947	Lost renomination
	Eliza Pratt (1902–1981)	Democratic	North Carolina's 8th	May 25, 1946	January 3, 1947	Retired
	Georgia Lusk (1893–1971)	Democratic	New Mexico at-large	January 3, 1947	January 3, 1949	Lost renomination
	Katharine St. George (1894–1983)	Republican	New York's 29th, 28th & 27th	January 3, 1947	January 3, 1965	Lost reelection
	Reva Bosone (1895–1983)	Democratic	Utah's 2nd	January 3, 1949	January 3, 1953	Lost reelection
	Cecil M. Harden (1894–1984)	Republican	Indiana's 6th	January 3, 1949	January 3, 1959	Lost reelection
	Edna F. Kelly (1906–1997)	Democratic	New York's 10th & 12th	November 8, 1949	January 3, 1969	Lost renomination
	Marguerite S. Church (1892–1990) [lower-alpha 25]	Republican	Illinois's 13th	January 3, 1951	January 3, 1963	Retired
	Ruth Thompson (1887–1970)	Republican	Michigan's 9th	January 3, 1951	January 3, 1957	Lost renomination
	Elizabeth Kee (1895–1975) [lower-alpha 26]	Democratic	West Virginia's 5th	July 17, 1951	January 3, 1965	Retired
	Vera Buchanan (1902–1955) [lower-alpha 27]	Democratic	Pennsylvania's 33rd & 30th	July 24, 1951	October 26, 1955	Died in office

Female members whose service began between 1953 and 1962

Portrait	Name (lifespan)	Party	District	Term start	Term end	Reason(s) for leaving
	Gracie Pfost (1906–1965)	Democratic	Idaho's 1st	January 3, 1953	January 3, 1963	Retired to run unsuccessfully for the 1962 United States Senate election in Idaho
	Leonor Sullivan (1902–1988)	Democratic	Missouri's 3rd	January 3, 1953	January 3, 1977	Retired
	Elizabeth P. Farrington (1898–1984) [lower-alpha 28]	Republican	Hawaii's at-large	July 31, 1954	January 3, 1957	Lost reelection
	Iris Blitch (1912–1993) [lower-alpha 29]	Democratic	Georgia's 8th	January 3, 1955	January 3, 1963	Retired
	Edith Green (1910–1987)	Democratic	Oregon's 3rd	January 3, 1955	December 31, 1974	Retired
	Martha Griffiths (1912–2003)	Democratic	Michigan's 17th	January 3, 1955	December 31, 1974	Retired [lower-alpha 30]
	Coya Knutson (1912–1996)	Democratic (DFL)	Minnesota's 9th	January 3, 1955	January 3, 1959	Lost reelection
	Kathryn E. Granahan (1894–1979) [lower-alpha 31]	Democratic	Pennsylvania's 2nd	November 6, 1956	January 3, 1963	Retired [lower-alpha 32]
	Florence P. Dwyer (1902–1976)	Republican	New Jersey's 6th & 12th	January 3, 1957	January 3, 1973	Retired
	Catherine May (1914–2004)	Republican	Washington's 4th	January 3, 1959	January 3, 1971	Lost reelection
	Edna O. Simpson (1891–1984) [lower-alpha 33]	Republican	Illinois's 20th	January 3, 1959	January 3, 1961	Retired
	Jessica M. Weis (1901–1963)	Republican	New York's 38th	January 3, 1959	January 3, 1963	Retired
	Julia Hansen (1907–1988)	Democratic	Washington's 3rd	November 8, 1960	December 31, 1974	Retired
	Catherine Norrell (1901–1981) [lower-alpha 34]	Democratic	Arkansas's 6th	April 19, 1961	January 3, 1963	Retired
	Louise Reece (1898–1970) [lower-alpha 35]	Republican	Tennessee's 1st	May 16, 1961	January 3, 1963	Retired
	Corinne Riley (1893–1979) [lower-alpha 36]	Democratic	South Carolina's 2nd	April 10, 1962	January 3, 1963	Retired

Female members whose service began between 1963 and 1972

Portrait	Name (lifespan)	Party	District	Term start	Term end	Reason(s) for leaving
	Charlotte Reid (1913–2007) [lower-alpha 37]	Republican	Illinois's 15th	January 3, 1963	October 7, 1971	Resigned to become a member of the Federal Communications Commission
	Irene Baker (1901–1994) [lower-alpha 38]	Republican	Tennessee's 2nd	January 7, 1964	January 3, 1965	Retired
	Patsy Mink (1927–2002) [lower-alpha 39]	Democratic	Hawaii's at-large	January 3, 1965	January 3, 1977	Retired to run unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for the 1976 United States Senate election in Hawaii [lower-alpha 40]
			Hawaii's 2nd	September 22, 1990	September 28, 2002	Died in office
	Lera Thomas (1900–1993) [lower-alpha 41]	Democratic	Texas's 8th	March 26, 1966	January 3, 1967	Retired
	Margaret Heckler (1931–2018)	Republican	Massachusetts's 10th	January 3, 1967	January 3, 1983	Lost reelection [lower-alpha 42]
	Shirley Chisholm (1924–2005) [lower-alpha 43]	Democratic	New York's 12th	January 3, 1969	January 3, 1983	Retired
	Bella Abzug (1920–1998)	Democratic	New York's 19th & 20th	January 3, 1971	January 3, 1977	Retired to run unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for the 1976 United States Senate election in New York
	Ella T. Grasso (1919–1981) [lower-alpha 44]	Democratic	Connecticut's 6th	January 3, 1971	January 3, 1975	Retired to run successfully for Governor of Connecticut
	Louise Day Hicks (1916–2003)	Democratic	Massachusetts's 9th	January 3, 1971	January 3, 1973	Lost reelection
	Elizabeth B. Andrews (1911–2002)	Democratic	Alabama's 3rd	April 4, 1972	January 3, 1973	Retired [lower-alpha 45]

Female members whose service began between 1973 and 1982

Portrait	Name (lifespan)	Party	District	Term start	Term end	Reason(s) for leaving
	Yvonne Burke (born 1932)	Democratic	California's 37th & 28th	January 3, 1973	January 3, 1979	Retired to run unsuccessfully for Attorney General of California
	Marjorie Holt (1920–2018)	Republican	Maryland's 4th	January 3, 1973	January 3, 1987	Retired
	Elizabeth Holtzman (born 1941)	Democratic	New York's 16th	January 3, 1973	January 3, 1981	Retired to run unsuccessfully for the 1980 United States Senate election in New York
	Barbara Jordan (1936–1996)	Democratic	Texas's 18th	January 3, 1973	January 3, 1979	Retired
	Pat Schroeder (born 1940)	Democratic	Colorado's 1st	January 3, 1973	January 3, 1997	Retired
	Lindy Boggs (1916–2013) [lower-alpha 46]	Democratic	Louisiana's 2nd	March 20, 1973	January 3, 1991	Retired [lower-alpha 47]
	Cardiss Collins (1931–2013) [lower-alpha 48]	Democratic	Illinois's 7th	June 5, 1973	January 3, 1997	Retired
	Millicent Fenwick (1910–1992) [lower-alpha 49]	Republican	New Jersey's 5th	January 3, 1975	January 3, 1983	Retired to run unsuccessfully for the 1982 United States Senate election in New Jersey [lower-alpha 50]
	Martha Keys (born 1930)	Democratic	Kansas's 2nd	January 3, 1975	January 3, 1979	Lost reelection
	Marilyn Lloyd (1929–2018) [lower-alpha 51]	Democratic	Tennessee's 3rd	January 3, 1975	January 3, 1995	Retired
	Virginia D. Smith (1911–2006)	Republican	Nebraska's 3rd	January 3, 1975	January 3, 1991	Retired
	Gladys Spellman (1918–1988)	Democratic	Maryland's 5th	January 3, 1975	February 24, 1981	After suffering a debilitating heart attack and slipping into a comatose state, her seat was declared vacant by the House
	Helen Stevenson-Meyner (1929–1997)	Democratic	New Jersey's 13th	January 3, 1975	January 3, 1979	Lost reelection
	Shirley Pettis (1924–2016) [lower-alpha 52]	Republican	California's 37th	April 29, 1975	January 3, 1979	Retired
	Barbara Mikulski (born 1936)	Democratic	Maryland's 3rd	January 3, 1977	January 3, 1987	Retired to run successfully for the 1986 United States Senate election in Maryland
	Mary Oakar (born 1940) [lower-alpha 53]	Democratic	Ohio's 20th	January 3, 1977	January 3, 1993	Lost reelection
	Beverly Byron (born 1932) [lower-alpha 54]	Democratic	Maryland's 6th	January 3, 1979	January 3, 1993	Lost renomination
	Geraldine Ferraro (1935–2011)	Democratic	New York's 9th	January 3, 1979	January 3, 1985	Retired to run unsuccessfully as the Democrat nominee for Vice President of the United States during the 1984 United States presidential election [lower-alpha 55]
	Olympia Snowe (born 1947)	Republican	Maine's 2nd	January 3, 1979	January 3, 1995	Retired to run successfully for the 1994 United States Senate election in Maine
	Bobbi Fiedler (1937–2019)	Republican	California's 21st	January 3, 1981	January 3, 1987	Retired to run unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for the 1986 United States Senate election in California
	Lynn Morley-Martin (born 1939)	Republican	Illinois's 16th	January 3, 1981	January 3, 1991	Retired to run unsuccessfully for the 1990 United States Senate election in Illinois [lower-alpha 56]
	Marge Roukema (1929–2014)	Republican	New Jersey's 7th & 5th	January 3, 1981	January 3, 2003	Retired
	Claudine Schneider (born 1947)	Republican	Rhode Island's 2nd	January 3, 1981	January 3, 1991	Retired to run unsuccessfully for the 1990 United States Senate election in Rhode Island
	Barbara B. Kennelly (born 1936) [lower-alpha 57]	Democratic	Connecticut's 1st	January 12, 1982	January 3, 1999	Retired to run unsuccessfully for the 1998 Connecticut gubernatorial election
	Jean Spencer-Ashbrook (born 1934) [lower-alpha 58]	Republican	Ohio's 17th	June 29, 1982	January 3, 1983	Retired
	Katie Hall (1938–2012)	Democratic	Indiana's 1st	November 2, 1982	January 3, 1985	Lost renomination

Female members whose service began between 1983 and 1992

Portrait	Name (lifespan)	Party	District	Term start	Term end	Reason(s) for leaving
	Barbara Boxer (born 1940)	Democratic	California's 6th	January 3, 1983	January 3, 1993	Retired to run successfully for the 1992 United States Senate election in California
	Nancy Johnson (born 1935)	Republican	Connecticut's 6th & 5th	January 3, 1983	January 3, 2007	Lost reelection
	Marcy Kaptur (born 1946)	Democratic	Ohio's 9th	January 3, 1983	Present
	Barbara Vucanovich (1921–2013) [lower-alpha 59]	Republican	Nevada's 2nd	January 3, 1983	January 3, 1997	Retired
	Sala Burton (1925–1987) [lower-alpha 60]	Democratic	California's 5th	June 21, 1983	February 1, 1987	Died in office
	Helen Delich-Bentley (1923–2016)	Republican	Maryland's 2nd	January 3, 1985	January 3, 1995	Retired to run unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for the 1994 Maryland gubernatorial election
	Jan Meyers (1928–2019)	Republican	Kansas's 3rd	January 3, 1985	January 3, 1997	Retired
	Catherine Small-Long (1924–2019) [lower-alpha 61]	Democratic	Louisiana's 8th	March 30, 1985	January 3, 1987	Retired
	Connie Morella (born 1931)	Republican	Maryland's 8th	January 3, 1987	January 3, 2003	Lost reelection [lower-alpha 62]
	Liz J. Patterson (1939–2018) [lower-alpha 63]	Democratic	South Carolina's 4th	January 3, 1987	January 3, 1993	Lost reelection
	Pat Saiki (born 1930)	Republican	Hawaii's 1st	January 3, 1987	January 3, 1991	Retired to run unsuccessfully for the 1990 United States Senate special election in Hawaii [lower-alpha 64]
	Louise Slaughter (1929–2018)	Democratic	New York's 30th, 28th & 25th	January 3, 1987	March 16, 2018	Died in office
	Nancy Pelosi (born 1940) [lower-alpha 65]	Democratic	California's 5th, 8th & 12th	June 2, 1987	Present
	Nita Lowey (born 1937)	Democratic	New York's 20th, 18th & 17th	January 3, 1989	January 3, 2021	Retired
	Jolene Unsoeld (born 1931)	Democratic	Washington's 3rd	January 3, 1989	January 3, 1995	Lost reelection
	Jill Long-Thompson (born 1952)	Democratic	Indiana's 4th	March 20, 1989	January 3, 1995	Lost reelection
	Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (born 1952)	Republican	Florida's 18th & 27th	August 29, 1989	January 3, 2019	Retired
	Susan Molinari (born 1958) [lower-alpha 66]	Republican	New York's 14th	March 20, 1990	August 2, 1997	Resigned to become co-host of CBS This Morning
	Barbara-Rose Collins (born 1939)	Democratic	Michigan's 13th & 15th	January 3, 1991	January 3, 1997	Lost renomination
	Rosa DeLauro (born 1943)	Democratic	Connecticut's 3rd	January 3, 1991	Present
	Eleanor Holmes-Norton (born 1937)	Democratic	DC at-large	January 3, 1991	Present
	Joan Horn (born 1936)	Democratic	Missouri's 2nd	January 3, 1991	January 3, 1993	Lost reelection
	Maxine Waters (born 1938)	Democratic	California's 29th, 35th & 43rd	January 3, 1991	Present
	Eva M. Clayton (born 1934)	Democratic	North Carolina's 1st	November 3, 1992	January 3, 2001	Retired

Female members whose service began between 1993 and 2002

Portrait	Name (lifespan)	Party	District	Term start	Term end	Reason(s) for leaving
	Corrine Brown (born 1946)	Democratic	Florida's 3rd & 5th	January 3, 1993	January 3, 2017	Lost renomination
	Leslie L. Byrne (born 1946)	Democratic	Virginia's 11th	January 3, 1993	January 3, 1995	Lost reelection
	Maria Cantwell (born 1958)	Democratic	Washington's 1st	January 3, 1993	January 3, 1995	Lost reelection [lower-alpha 67]
	Pat Danner (born 1934)	Democratic	Missouri's 6th	January 3, 1993	January 3, 2001	Retired
	Jennifer Dunn (1941–2007)	Republican	Washington's 8th	January 3, 1993	January 3, 2005	Retired
	Karan English (born 1949)	Democratic	Arizona's 6th	January 3, 1993	January 3, 1995	Lost reelection
	Anna Eshoo (born 1942)	Democratic	California's 14th & 18th	January 3, 1993	Present
	Tillie K. Fowler (1942–2005)	Republican	Florida's 4th	January 3, 1993	January 3, 2001	Retired
	Elizabeth Furse (born 1936)	Democratic	Oregon's 1st	January 3, 1993	January 3, 1999	Retired
	Jane Harman (born 1945)	Democratic	California's 36th	January 3, 1993	January 3, 1999	Retired to run unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for the 1998 California gubernatorial election
				January 3, 2001	February 28, 2011	Resigned to become the Director, President, and Chief Executive Officer of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
	Eddie Johnson (born 1936)	Democratic	Texas's 30th	January 3, 1993	Present
	Blanche Lincoln (born 1960)	Democratic	Arkansas's 1st	January 3, 1993	January 3, 1997	Retired [lower-alpha 68]
	Carolyn Maloney (born 1946)	Democratic	New York's 14th & 12th	January 3, 1993	Present
	Marjorie Margolies (born 1942)	Democratic	Pennsylvania's 13th	January 3, 1993	January 3, 1995	Lost reelection
	Cynthia McKinney (born 1955)	Democratic	Georgia's 11th	January 3, 1993	January 3, 1997	Redistricted
			Georgia's 4th	January 3, 1997	January 3, 2003	Lost renomination [lower-alpha 69]
				January 3, 2005	January 3, 2007
	Carrie P. Meek (born 1926)	Democratic	Florida's 17th	January 3, 1993	January 3, 2003	Retired
	Deborah Pryce (born 1951)	Republican	Ohio's 15th	January 3, 1993	January 3, 2009	Retired
	Lucille Roybal-Allard (born 1941) [lower-alpha 70]	Democratic	California's 33rd, 34th, & 40th	January 3, 1993	Present
	Lynn Schenk (born 1945)	Democratic	California's 49th	January 3, 1993	January 3, 1995	Lost reelection
	Karen Shepherd (born 1940)	Democratic	Utah's 2nd	January 3, 1993	January 3, 1995	Lost reelection
	Karen Thurman (born 1951)	Democratic	Florida's 5th	January 3, 1993	January 3, 2003	Lost reelection
	Nydia Velázquez (born 1953)	Democratic	New York's 12th & 7th	January 3, 1993	Present
	Lynn Woolsey (born 1937)	Democratic	California's 6th	January 3, 1993	January 3, 2013	Retired
	Helen Chenoweth-Hage (1938–2006)	Republican	Idaho's 1st	January 3, 1995	January 3, 2001	Retired
	Barbara Cubin (born 1946)	Republican	Wyoming's at-large	January 3, 1995	January 3, 2009	Retired
	Enid Greene (born 1958)	Republican	Utah's 2nd	January 3, 1995	January 3, 1997	Retired
	Sheila Jackson-Lee (born 1950)	Democratic	Texas's 18th	January 3, 1995	Present
	Sue Kelly (born 1936)	Republican	New York's 19th	January 3, 1995	January 3, 2007	Lost reelection
	Zoe Lofgren (born 1947)	Democratic	California's 16th & 19th	January 3, 1995	Present
	Karen McCarthy (1947–2010)	Democratic	Missouri's 5th	January 3, 1995	January 3, 2005	Retired
	Sue Myrick (born 1941)	Republican	North Carolina's 9th	January 3, 1995	January 3, 2013	Retired
	Lynn N. Rivers (born 1956)	Democratic	Michigan's 13th	January 3, 1995	January 3, 2003	Lost renomination
	Andrea Seastrand (born 1941)	Republican	California's 22nd	January 3, 1995	January 3, 1997	Lost reelection
	Linda Smith (born 1950)	Republican	Washington's 3rd	January 3, 1995	January 3, 1999	Retired to run unsuccessfully for the 1998 United States Senate election in Washington
	Juanita Millender-McDonald (1938–2007)	Democratic	California's 37th	March 26, 1996	April 22, 2007	Died in office
	Jo Ann Emerson (born 1950) [lower-alpha 71]	Republican	Missouri's 8th	November 5, 1996	January 3, 1997	Retook seat as an independent, having been reelected under that designation
		Independent		January 3, 1997	January 8, 1997	Changed party back to Republican
		Republican		January 8, 1997	January 22, 2013	Resigned to become the President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
	Julia Carson (1938–2007) [lower-alpha 72]	Democratic	Indiana's 10th & 7th	January 3, 1997	December 15, 2007	Died in office
	Carolyn Cheeks-Kilpatrick (born 1945)	Democratic	Michigan's 15th & 13th	January 3, 1997	January 3, 2011	Lost renomination
	Donna Christian-Christensen (born 1945)	Democratic	U.S. Virgin Island's at-large	January 3, 1997	January 3, 2015	Retired to run unsuccessfully for the 2014 United States Virgin Islands gubernatorial election
	Diana DeGette (born 1957)	Democratic	Colorado's 1st	January 3, 1997	Present
	Kay Granger (born 1943)	Republican	Texas's 12th	January 3, 1997	Present
	Darlene Hooley (born 1939)	Democratic	Oregon's 5th	January 3, 1997	January 3, 2009	Retired
	Carolyn McCarthy (born 1944)	Democratic	New York's 4th	January 3, 1997	January 3, 2015	Retired
	Anne Northup (born 1948)	Republican	Kentucky's 3rd	January 3, 1997	January 3, 2007	Lost reelection
	Loretta Sánchez (born 1960) [lower-alpha 73]	Democratic	California's 46th, 47th, & 46th	January 3, 1997	January 3, 2017	Retired to run unsuccessfully for the 2016 United States Senate election in California
	Debbie Stabenow (born 1950)	Democratic	Michigan's 8th	January 3, 1997	January 3, 2001	Retired to run successfully for the 2000 United States Senate election in Michigan
	Ellen Tauscher (1951–2019)	Democratic	California's 10th	January 3, 1997	June 26, 2009	Resigned to become Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs
	Lois Capps (born 1938) [lower-alpha 74]	Democratic	California's 22nd, 23rd, & 24th	March 10, 1998	January 3, 2017	Retired
	Mary Bono (born 1961) [lower-alpha 75]	Republican	California's 44th & California's 45th	April 7, 1998	January 3, 2013	Lost reelection
	Barbara Lee (born 1946)	Democratic	California's 9th & 13th	April 7, 1998	Present
	Heather Wilson (born 1960)	Republican	New Mexico's 1st	June 25, 1998	January 3, 2009	Retired to run unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for the 2008 United States Senate election in New Mexico [lower-alpha 76]
	Tammy Baldwin (born 1962) [lower-alpha 77]	Democratic	Wisconsin's 2nd	January 3, 1999	January 3, 2013	Retired to run successfully for the 2012 United States Senate election in Wisconsin
	Shelley Berkley (born 1951)	Democratic	Nevada's 1st	January 3, 1999	January 3, 2013	Retired to run unsuccessfully for the 2012 United States Senate election in Nevada
	Judy Biggert (born 1937)	Republican	Illinois's 13th	January 3, 1999	January 3, 2013	Lost reelection
	Grace Napolitano (born 1936)	Democratic	California's 34th, 38th, & 32nd	January 3, 1999	Present
	Jan Schakowsky (born 1944)	Democratic	Illinois's 9th	January 3, 1999	Present
	Stephanie Tubbs Jones (1949–2008)	Democratic	Ohio's 11th	January 3, 1999	August 20, 2008	Died in office
	Jo Ann Davis (1950–2007)	Republican	Virginia's 1st	January 3, 2001	October 6, 2007	Died in office
	Susan Davis (born 1944)	Democratic	California's 49th & 53rd	January 3, 2001	January 3, 2021	Retired
	Melissa Hart (born 1962)	Republican	Pennsylvania's 4th	January 3, 2001	January 3, 2007	Lost reelection
	Betty McCollum (born 1954)	Democratic (DFL)	Minnesota's 4th	January 3, 2001	Present
	Shelley Moore-Capito (born 1953)	Republican	West Virginia's 2nd	January 3, 2001	January 3, 2015	Retired to run successfully for the 2014 United States Senate election in West Virginia
	Hilda Solis (born 1957)	Democratic	California's 31st & 32nd	January 3, 2001	February 24, 2009	Resigned to become United States Secretary of Labor
	Diane Watson (born 1933) [lower-alpha 78]	Democratic	California's 32nd & 33rd	June 5, 2001	January 3, 2011	Retired

Female members whose service began between 2003 and 2012

Portrait	Name (lifespan)	Party	District	Term start	Term end	Reason(s) for leaving
	Marsha Blackburn (born 1952)	Republican	Tennessee's 7th	January 3, 2003	January 3, 2019	Retired to run successfully for the 2018 United States Senate election in Tennessee
	Madeleine Bordallo (born 1933) [lower-alpha 79]	Democratic	Guam's at-large	January 3, 2003	January 3, 2019	Lost renomination
	Ginny Brown-Waite (born 1943)	Republican	Florida's 5th	January 3, 2003	January 3, 2011	Retired
	Katherine Harris (born 1957) [lower-alpha 80]	Republican	Florida's 13th	January 3, 2003	January 3, 2007	Retired to run unsuccessfully for the 2006 United States Senate election in Florida
	Denise Majette (born 1955)	Democratic	Georgia's 4th	January 3, 2003	January 3, 2005	Retired to run unsuccessfully for the 2004 United States Senate election in Georgia
	Candice Miller (born 1954) [lower-alpha 81]	Republican	Michigan's 10th	January 3, 2003	January 3, 2017	Retired to run successfully for Public Works Commissioner of Macomb County
	Marilyn Musgrave (born 1949)	Republican	Colorado's 4th	January 3, 2003	January 3, 2009	Lost reelection
	Linda Sánchez (born 1969) [lower-alpha 82]	Democratic	California's 39th	January 3, 2003	January 3, 2013	Redistricted
			California's 38th	January 3, 2013
	Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin (born 1970)	Democratic	South Dakota's at-large	June 1, 2004	January 3, 2011	Lost reelection
	Melissa Bean (born 1962)	Democratic	Illinois's 8th	January 3, 2005	January 3, 2011	Lost reelection
	Thelma Drake (born 1949)	Republican	Virginia's 2nd	January 3, 2005	January 3, 2009	Lost reelection
	Virginia Foxx (born 1944)	Republican	North Carolina's 5th	January 3, 2005	Present
	Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (born 1969)	Republican	Washington's 5th	January 3, 2005	Presnt