- In full:
- Geraldine Anne Ferraro
- Married name:
- Geraldine Zaccaro
- Died:
- March 26, 2011, Boston, Massachusetts (aged 75)
- Title / Office:
- House of Representatives (1979-1985), United States
- Political Affiliation:
- Democratic Party
- On the Web:
- United States House of Representatives - History, Art and Archives - Geraldine Anne Ferraro (Oct. 29, 2026)
Geraldine Ferraro
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Who was Geraldine Ferraro?
Geraldine Ferraro (1935-2011) was an American Democratic politician. She was the first woman nominated for vice president by a major political party in the United States, as Walter Mondale’s running mate in the 1984 presidential election.
Ferraro was the daughter of Italian immigrants. She received a law degree in 1960, and she practiced law until 1974. In 1978, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from New York’s Ninth Congressional District, and was reelected in 1980 and 1982.
In 1984, presidential candidate Walter Mondale selected Ferraro to be his running mate. After an unsuccessful presidential bid, Ferraro held a fellowship at the Harvard Institute of Politics (1988) and ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 1992 and 1998.
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What political party did Geraldine Ferraro belong to?
Geraldine Ferraro was a prominent American politician who belonged to the Democratic party. She made history as the first woman nominated for vice president by a major political party in the United States, serving as Walter Mondale's running mate in the 1984 presidential election.
Before her vice-presidential nomination, Ferraro represented New York's Ninth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1979 to 1985. During her time in Congress, she was elected secretary of the Democratic caucus and later became the chair of the 1984 Democratic platform committee, the first woman to hold that position.
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What major position or office did Geraldine Ferraro first hold?
Geraldine Ferraro's first major position was in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing New York's Ninth Congressional District after being elected in 1978. Prior to this, she served as an assistant district attorney in the Investigations Bureau in Queens in 1974. The next year, she moved to the Special Victims Bureau, where she helped handle domestic violence and rape cases. Ferraro ran as a Democrat, supporting law and order, the elderly, and neighborhood preservation. She was subsequently reelected in 1980 and 1982.
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Why is Geraldine Ferraro a significant figure in U.S. political history?
Geraldine Ferraro holds a significant place in U.S. political history as the first woman nominated for vice president by a major political party. In 1984, Walter Mondale, the Democratic presidential candidate, chose Ferraro, then a congresswoman from New York, as his running mate. This decision aimed to energize his campaign, but the Mondale-Ferraro ticket was unsuccessful against Ronald Reagan. Despite the defeat, Ferraro's nomination broke a barrier and paved the way for future female candidates in national politics.
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What role did Geraldine Ferraro play in the 1984 U.S. presidential election?
In the 1984 U.S. presidential election, Geraldine Ferraro played a historic role as the first woman nominated for vice president by a major political party, chosen as Walter Mondale's running mate. This selection aimed to energize the Democratic campaign, but the Mondale-Ferraro ticket faced challenges, including controversies over Ferraro's finances and Ronald Reagan's popularity. Despite Ferraro's groundbreaking presence, the Democratic ticket lost to Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush in a landslide.
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How did Geraldine Ferraro's nomination impact women in American politics?
Geraldine Ferraro was the first woman nominated for vice president by a major political party in the United States, as Walter Mondale's running mate in the 1984 presidential election. Though Mondale lost to Ronald Reagan, Ferraro's nomination broke ground for women in politics. Before Ferraro, women on presidential tickets belonged to minor parties with virtually no chance of winning electoral votes. Until Hillary Clinton in 2016, the only other woman on a major party's ticket was Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee in 2008.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Geraldine Ferraro (born August 26, 1935, Newburgh, New York, U.S.—died March 26, 2011, Boston, Massachusetts) was an American Democratic politician who was the first woman to be nominated for vice president by a major political party in the United States; as such, she served as Walter Mondale’s running mate in the 1984 presidential election. They ultimately lost to the Republican ticket of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Ferraro also served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1979–85).
Ferraro was the daughter of Italian immigrants. Her father died when she was eight years old. She received a scholarship to Marymount College in Manhattan, and she majored in English (B.A., 1956). While teaching in public schools in Queens, she attended Fordham University Law School at night. She earned a law degree in 1960, was admitted to the New York bar in 1961, and practiced law until 1974. She married John Zaccaro in 1960, and the couple later had three children.
In 1974 Ferraro accepted a position as an assistant district attorney in the Investigations Bureau in Queens. She transferred the next year to the Special Victims Bureau, which she helped to create to handle cases of domestic violence and rape. In 1978 she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from New York’s Ninth Congressional District, running as a Democrat on a platform supporting law and order, the elderly, and neighborhood preservation. She was reelected in 1980 and 1982.
In 1980 Ferraro was elected secretary of the Democratic caucus, and she took a seat in the House Steering and Policy Committee. She was appointed chair of the 1984 Democratic platform committee, the first woman to hold the post. Also in 1984, Democratic Party presidential candidate Walter Mondale selected Ferraro to be his running mate. The presidential bid was unsuccessful, however, as Mondale lost to Ronald Reagan.
Ferraro’s autobiography, Ferraro: My Story, was published in 1985. She held a fellowship at the Harvard Institute of Politics (1988) and ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 1992 and 1998. From 1993 to 1996 she served as a member of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. In 1996–98 she was cohost of CNN’s political debate show Crossfire. During the presidential election of 2008, she served as a fund-raiser for Hillary Clinton. An uproar following controversial remarks Ferraro made about the roles of sexism and race in the election led to her resignation.
In 1998 Ferraro was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. She died from complications of the disease in 2011. Three years later a documentary about her life and career, Geraldine Ferraro: Paving the Way, was released; it was directed by her eldest daughter, Donna Zaccaro.
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