Geraldine Ferraro

Geraldine Ferraro passed away this morning at the age of 75 due to complications from blood cancer. This article from the AP discusses her many accomplishments throughout her career and how she did indeed break the glass ceiling for women interested in pursuing higher office. The Hillary Clintons and Sarah Palins (aside from Mrs. Clinton already having many accomplishments and smarts that would help her be taken seriously as a candidate for higher office anyway) could more easily be seen as plausible serious candidates for the Vice Presidency and even the Presidency since a woman had been there before they did it.

I remember from my Hill intern days getting on the elevator, running like mad to avoid being late to wherever it was I had to be, delivering a letter to another office, or getting back to my office from lunch or going there in the morning. And I almost knocked her down. I looked behind me and there she was with her bodyguard. She had been assigned one because she had at this point officially become Mr. Mondale's running mate. I was absolutely blown away and taken aback because she was about 5'3 and wearing of all things....a dress. It was a dress similar to the one she is wearing in the picture from the Life magazine archive above. Granted she did wear suits with padded shoulders and bow blouses like the one Mrs. Mondale is pictured in above but very frequently she opted for the dress. I have looked high and low to find something to back this up but all I have is my memory; of reading an article about Mrs. Ferraro that said she often wore Maggy London dresses. Their square necks, nipped in waistlines and sleeves with inverted pleats that made a bit of a puff were a very far cry from the "uniform" many women wore in the early to mid 80s of a navy, grey, or black suit with big padded shoulders, and a light (preferably white) blouse with the floppy tie.

I don't remember anyone ever questioning her accomplishments or her authority even though she often opted for the Maggy London dresses over the power suits. A trailblazer in more than one way. God Speed Ms. Ferraro.