What an amazing story. I feel guilty for not knowing anything about the first elected congresswoman and any of her accomplishments. Nor did I understand the way these discharge petitions worked, both logistically and politically. I’m gonna dedicate my morning to learning even more about Mary Norton. Thank you, Gabe!
Ah, a clarification: when I read this part I thought it meant that Norton was the first ever woman elected to congress through election on her own, as opposed to replacing their husband:
“When Norton arrived as a New Jersey representative in 1925, there were 531 members of Congress: 528 men, and three women. Of the trio, Norton was the only one who hadn’t been elected to succeed a deceased husband.”
The nuance I missed is there were two women elected to Congress before Norton, they just weren’t in Congress anymore when Norton arrived in 1925. So Norton was the third woman elected to Congress without a husband who preceded her, and the first woman from the Democratic party to do so.
Thank you for this story about people fighting against the mechanisms that prevent their right to representation.
We are in that fight right now with President Trump demanding TX and MO (and other red states) redraw their maps to give him more R representatives and More Power. I am in MO and we are desperately looking for ways to deny that demand. TX reps have broken quorum, but we don’t have that option in MO. Quorum is 50% in MO, and R’s have had a supermajority here for over 20 years.
We need everyone in the country’s help. Please talk about this crisis, and when you do, please say you support TX and MO in this fight to protect the right to fair representation. If we receive enough attention, it will put enough pressure on our Gov. Kehoe to stand up to President Trump’s demand, and not capitulate.
It is perhaps our biggest shame, that congress rarely takes up the issues that have the most support from the people who elected them. Until we the people can figure out a way to change this status quo, nothing will get done in congress that has positive impact on us.
Thank you for making my day, month, year I have hope! This is so informative I would’ve never known. Is it true that over 4000 payments were made to Epstein through the government for almost $1 billion dollars?
More stories like this, please! Small and mighty and hopeful and a dash of current events for relevance and practical application. Love it.
Yes, I agree.
What an amazing story. I feel guilty for not knowing anything about the first elected congresswoman and any of her accomplishments. Nor did I understand the way these discharge petitions worked, both logistically and politically. I’m gonna dedicate my morning to learning even more about Mary Norton. Thank you, Gabe!
Ah, a clarification: when I read this part I thought it meant that Norton was the first ever woman elected to congress through election on her own, as opposed to replacing their husband:
“When Norton arrived as a New Jersey representative in 1925, there were 531 members of Congress: 528 men, and three women. Of the trio, Norton was the only one who hadn’t been elected to succeed a deceased husband.”
The nuance I missed is there were two women elected to Congress before Norton, they just weren’t in Congress anymore when Norton arrived in 1925. So Norton was the third woman elected to Congress without a husband who preceded her, and the first woman from the Democratic party to do so.
Thank you for this story about people fighting against the mechanisms that prevent their right to representation.
We are in that fight right now with President Trump demanding TX and MO (and other red states) redraw their maps to give him more R representatives and More Power. I am in MO and we are desperately looking for ways to deny that demand. TX reps have broken quorum, but we don’t have that option in MO. Quorum is 50% in MO, and R’s have had a supermajority here for over 20 years.
We need everyone in the country’s help. Please talk about this crisis, and when you do, please say you support TX and MO in this fight to protect the right to fair representation. If we receive enough attention, it will put enough pressure on our Gov. Kehoe to stand up to President Trump’s demand, and not capitulate.
Solidarity!
It is perhaps our biggest shame, that congress rarely takes up the issues that have the most support from the people who elected them. Until we the people can figure out a way to change this status quo, nothing will get done in congress that has positive impact on us.
Great post!! Gives me a bit of hope for the fall legislative session. Thank you!
Go Mary go!! What a fantastic article. Thank you Mary, thank you Gabe.
This was a great read. Thanks, Gabe!
I loved hearing her story! What a powerhouse! I wonder how many current members of Congress know about this option.
Thank you for making my day, month, year I have hope! This is so informative I would’ve never known. Is it true that over 4000 payments were made to Epstein through the government for almost $1 billion dollars?
Payments for what?
What a great story! Thank you for telling us about Congresswoman Norton.
I keep seeing the headline and it immediately brings to mind objects one would use for the beating. I’m just so frustrated.
The tone of the article was much nicer than the title!
What an interesting piece of history, and cheers for the upcoming ones when back in session.