A Woman in the House (and Senate) (Revised and Updated)An inspiring history of all the women who have taken a seat in Congress! For the first 128 years of America's history, only men served in the Senate and House of Representatives. All that changed in January 1917 when Jeannette Rankin was sworn in as the first woman elected to Congress. From the women's suffrage movement to the 2018 election, Ilene Cooper highlights influential and diverse female leaders who opened doors for women in politics. Women