Margaret Chase Smith

Following four terms in the House of Representatives, Margaret Chase Smith took the oath of office as a U.S. Senator on January 3, 1949. The official ceremony took place in the Senate Chamber, and was later reenacted in another Capitol room to allow photographs to be taken. In this photo, Smith along with three fellow senators recreate the oath-taking ceremony in the room now known as the Old Senate Chamber. [Margaret Chase Smith Library]

Margaret Chase Smith, the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress, won election to the Senate in 1948 and served four full terms, 1949 to 1973. The Republican senator from Maine took a courageous stand against McCarthyism on June 1, 1950, with her Declaration of Conscience. [Margaret Chase Smith Library]

 [U.S. Senate Historical Office]

Margaret Chase Smith became the first woman to be placed in nomination for the presidency at a major political party's convention in 1964. [U.S. Senate Historical Office]