Kamala Harris, U.S. Vice President–elect

Born 1964

In 2003, Kamala Harris became the District Attorney of the City and County of San Francisco and started a program that gives first-time drug offenders the chance to earn a high school diploma and find employment.

Harris was elected as the first African-American and first woman to serve as California’s Attorney General and worked tirelessly to hold corporations accountable and protect the state’s most vulnerable people. 

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Phillis Wheatley Peter, poet

1743–1784

Although she was an enslaved person, Phillis Wheatley Peters was one of the best-known poets in pre-19th century America.

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Margaret Corbin, American soldier

1751–1800

In 1776, Margaret Corbin dressed as a man and joined her husband in the Battle of Fort Washington on Manhattan Island. She helped him load his cannon, and when he was killed, she took over firing the cannon against the British.

She was eventually struck by enemy fire, which nearly severed her left arm and severely wounded her jaw and left breast. Corbin was unable to use her left arm for the rest of her life.

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Arabella Mansfield, lawyer

1846–1911

In 1869, Arabella Mansfield became the first female lawyer in the United States, admitted to the Iowa bar; she made her career as a college educator and administrator.

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Victoria Woodhull, women’s rights activist

1838–1927

Victoria Woodhull was the first woman to own a brokerage firm on Wall Street, the first woman to start a weekly newspaper, and an activist for women’s rights and labor reform.

In 1872, Woodhull became the first woman candidate for the United States presidency. She ran for the Equal Rights Party, supporting women’s suffrage and equal rights.

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Maggie Walker, banker

1864–1934

Maggie Lena Walker was an African-American businesswoman and teacher. Walker was the first African-American woman to charter a bank and serve as its president in the United States.

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Alice Dunnigan, journalist

1906–1983

Alice Allison Dunnigan was the first African American female correspondent at the White House and the first black female member of the Senate and House of Representatives press galleries.

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Joanne Conte, politician

1933–2013

Joanne Conte was the first openly transgender person to be elected to a city council in the United States. She served on city council from 1991–1995 in Arvada, Colorado.