LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION memorializing Governor David A. Paterson to
proclaim March 2010 as Women's History Month in the State of New York

WHEREAS, March is Women's History Month; and
WHEREAS, March 8th is International Women's Day; and
WHEREAS, Women of every economic, ethnic and religious background have
made significant contributions that are reflected in our cultural,
social, educational, industrial and economic diversity, and have
contributed in many ways, including as writers, educators, scientists,
heads of state, politicians, civil rights crusaders, artists, entertain-
ers, businesswomen, military personnel, aviators, entrepreneurs, philan-
thropists, health professionals, engineers, religious leaders, judges,
lawyers, law enforcement personnel, athletes, and mothers, and as the
building blocks of our communities; and
WHEREAS, Women in the national labor movement, in particular, have
significantly contributed to and have helped to shape opportunities for
advancement of women in the workplace through campaigns for equal pay
regardless of sex or color, child care, family-medical leave,
protections for child labor and limits to the workday, and through their
efforts, the workplace has been improved for all workers; and
WHEREAS, Each year, New York State officially sets aside time to
recognize the unique and varied contributions women have made to New
York and its society; and
WHEREAS, New York has been the home of many extraordinary women who
have led society to a better future; and
WHEREAS, New York women like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton,
and Matilda Joslyn Gage were instrumental in leading the struggle for
suffrage; and
WHEREAS, In 1895, Carrie Clyde Holly (originally from New York City)
and Clara Dressingham (from Brooklyn) were among two of the first three
women elected to any state legislature in the nation, joining Frances
Klock (from Massachusetts) in the Colorado legislature; and
WHEREAS, In 1918, one year after New York guaranteed women the right
to vote in all elections, the first two women, Ida Sammis and Mary
Lilly, were elected to the New York State Legislature; and
WHEREAS, Rhoda Fox Graves became the first woman to be elected to both
houses of New York State government, elected to the Assembly in 1924,
for several terms, and to the Senate in 1934, for 14 years; and
WHEREAS, New York State has been, and continues to be, the home to
many distinguished women who have made their mark in history as the
first in their field to succeed; representative of these "firsts" are
contributions by women such as: Lady Deborah Moody (1586-1659), the
first woman grantee for land ownership in the New World; Elizabeth
Blackwell (1821-1910), the first female physician; Emma Willard
(1787-1870), the founder of the first endowed institution of education
for women; hairdressing entrepreneur Madame C.J. Walker (1867-1919),
Harlem leader and the first self-made female millionaire in the U.S.;
Buffalonian Louise Blanchard Bethune (1856-1913), the first professional
female architect in the Nation; Lucille Ball (1911-1989), actor and
president of Desilu Productions, the first woman to lead a major Holly-
wood production company; New York City Correction Commissioner Katherine
Bement Davis (1860-1935), the first woman to head a major City agency;
Winifred Ederton Merrill (1862-1951), the first American woman to
receive a Ph.D. in mathematics; Dr. Mary Edwards Walker (1832-1919), the
first and only woman to be presented with the Congressional Medal of
Honor; and Belva Lockwood (1830-1917), the first woman to practice law
before the United States Supreme Court; and

WHEREAS, It is appropriate of this Legislative Body to recognize and
pay just tribute to women who are making history today: Rhoda Jacobs is
the longest-serving woman in the New York State Legislature (1979-pre-
sent); Earlene Hooper is the highest ranking woman in the Assembly,
where, as Deputy Speaker, she holds the highest leadership post ever
held by a woman in the Assembly; and Ruth Hassell-Thompson as Chair of
the Majority Conference, is the highest ranking woman in the Senate; and
WHEREAS, Since 1983, New York women legislators have worked through
the bipartisan Legislative Women's Caucus to improve the representation
and participation of women in all areas of government, support issues
that affect women and families in New York State, and provide a network
of support for the women in the state legislature; and
WHEREAS, Today, 51 women serve in the New York Legislature, holding
leadership positions in both houses and bringing the diverse experiences
of women into law and public policy; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body recognizes that the State of New York
is home to countless women who are strong and colorful threads, vital to
the fabric of our rich heritage, who have contributed, and continue to
add to the advancement of our culture through their traditional and
non-traditional roles in society; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor David A. Paterson to proclaim March 2010 as Women's
History Month in the State of New York, and to honor the women of New
York State; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to The Honorable David A. Paterson, Governor of the State of New
York, and to the Legislative Women's Caucus of New York State.