[154] Indeed, December and January polls had her 25percentage points ahead of Green in the race and even further ahead of Schumer. The idea of a woman vice president almost got torpedoed after NOWs public threat of a convention-floor rebellion caused Mondale advisors to worry about the selection being seen as a sop to special interest groupsa coded way of saying feminists, organized labor and racial minoritiesfor which hed incurred primary criticism from rival Gary Hart. Stay at this 5-star luxury hotel in Gaziantep. The first . Then she added, Vice president has such a nice ring to it., It was magical, recalls McLean, who had flown from California to witness the announcement. "[202] McCain and Palin ended up losing, but regardless of the 1984 or 2008 election result, Ferraro said that "Every time a woman runs, women win. [109] Two years after the campaign, the Times finally changed its policy and began using "Ms."[108], Ferraro had relinquished her House seat to run for the vice-presidency. Like Joe Biden in 2020, Mondale considered several women as his running mate, including future California Senator Dianne Feinstein. [35] Her Italian heritage also appealed to ethnic residents in the district. The best-prepared of a well-prepared lot. [1] In 1982, she said her experiences as assistant district attorney had changed some of her views: " because no matter how concerned I am about spending, I have seen first hand what poverty can do to people's lives and I just can't, in good conscience, not do something about it. [31] As she later wrote, "I had created a monster. The High Point of the Democratic National Convention The Associated Press. She also threatened to greet him by his not-favored nicknamePoppy. (For the real deal, Ferraro went with a handshake and no monikers. [115] A full year later, he was acquitted at trial. Learn about this complex history and the women who propelled it. One can't even award that level of "true" myopia to Geraldine Ferraro. [170] She partnered with Laura Ingraham, starting in December 1999, in writing the alternate-weeks column "Campaign Countdown" on the 2000presidential election for The New York Times Syndicate. Throughout her career she broke down barriers and inspired a generation of. In May, Tip ONeill endorsed Ferraro as a potential vice president in the Boston Globe. "[201], After her 1998 diagnosis, Ferraro continued to battle multiple myeloma, making repeated visits to hospitals during her last year and undergoing difficult procedures. [118] Meanwhile, in February 1986, the couple's son John had been arrested for possession and sale of cocaine. [99] Of the tenth of voters who decided based on the vice-presidential candidates, 54percent went to MondaleFerraro,[81] establishing that Ferraro provided a net gain to the Democrats of 0.8percent. [55] Once there, however, doctors discovered she had come down with pneumonia. Ger-ry! [nb 4] The AFLCIO's Committee on Political Education gave her an average approval rating of 91percent. [130][131] In an unusual election-eve television broadcast, Ferraro talked about "the ethnic slur that I am somehow or other connected to organized crime.
Memoirist Ferraro in Hindsight: One Vote for Feinstein That's. [1] She was elected to be the Secretary of the House Democratic Caucus for 19811983 and again for 19831985;[40] this entitled her to a seat on the influential Steering and Policy Committee. [127] She objected that a male candidate would not receive nearly as much attention regarding his wife's activities. And that shone through when the country was introduced to her, says Barnett. Geraldine Anne Ferraro (August 26, 1935 March 26, 2011) was an American politician, diplomat, and attorney. "[122] She also took care of her mother, who suffered from emphysema for several years before her death in early 1990. [51] Women mentioned for the role included Ferraro and Mayor of San Francisco Dianne Feinstein,[52] both of whom were on Mondale's five-person short list. [36] Although Ferraro and Zaccaro's finances were often interwoven on paper,[23] with each half partners in Zaccaro's company,[37] Ferraro had little knowledge of his business, or even how much he was worth. [127] Ferraro became the front-runner, capitalizing on her star power from 1984, and using the campaign attacks against her as an explicitly feminist rallying point for women voters. An overwhelming defeat on the New York Times front page, November 8, 1984, At some campaign stops, Ferraro would amp up the crowds by asking them, The pollsters and pundits say we cant win in NovemberBut I want to take my own scientific, objective survey right here. This was seen as an example of a generational difference among American women; in contrast to Ferraro's generation, younger women saw nothing special about electing a woman president (especially one with Clinton's history) compared to what writer Anne Kornblut called "the milestone of electing an African American president". Ferraro was born in 1935, in Newburgh, New York, the daughter of a first-generation Italian-American mother and an Italian immigrant father. [110] However, she lost ground during the summer, with Schumer catching up in the polls by early August and then soon passing her. [119] Ferraro worked on an unpublished book about the conflicting rights between a free press and being able to have fair trials. Her husband John Zaccaro had pleaded guilty in January 1985, to fraudulently obtaining bank financing in a real estate transaction and had been sentenced to 150hours of community service. [110] Unlike 1992, the contest was not divisive, and Ferraro and third-place finisher Green endorsed Schumer at a unity breakfast the following day. Geraldine A. Ferraro, who rose from a U.S congressional seat in Queens to a place in history as the first woman to run on a major party national ticket for vice president, has died. At the start of 1998, Ferraro left Crossfire and ran for the Democratic nomination again in the 1998 United States Senate election in New York. [199], During September 2008, Ferraro gained attention yet again after the announcement of Sarah Palin as the Republican vice-presidential nominee, the first such major party bid for a woman since her own in 1984. Later, when Reagans approval ratings rebounded, the argument evolved. [24][25] She spent time at local Democratic clubs, which allowed her to maintain contacts within the legal profession and become involved in local politics and campaigns. [56], As Ferraro was the first woman to run on a major party national ticket in the United States,[nb 1] and the first Italian American,[nb 2] her July 19 nomination at the 1984 Democratic National Convention was one of the most emotional moments of that gathering, with female delegates appearing joyous and proud at the historic occasion. Newspapers and magazines recounted her life story: how shed been named after her older brother, Gerard, who had died as a toddler; her fathers death when Ferraro was only 8; her mothers return to crocheting beads onto dresses to support the family; her Catholic-school education; how the particularly reprehensible crimes shed seen as a prosecutor propelled her into public office. Ferraro uttered the words, I proudly accept your nomination for Vice President of the United States, and then had to pause for more than a minute for applause and cheers of Ger-ry. Foundational feminist Betty Friedan, who had been hesitant to push for a female nominee, fearing the accomplishment would be solely a symbolic gesture, wrote to Ferraro: It was a peak experience for me that day in San Francisco. Perhaps rupturing the glass ceiling could generate enough enthusiasm to shake up the race in the Democrats favor. [24] She labeled herself a "'small c' conservative"[1] and emphasized that she was not a bleeding-heart liberal; her campaign slogan was "Finally, A Tough Democrat". "[17] For her six years in Congress, Ferraro had an average 78percent "Liberal Quotient" from Americans for Democratic Action[nb 3] and an average 8percent rating from the American Conservative Union. I would never have accepted Mondales offer if I didnt think we would win. [148] Regarding a previous China motion that had failed, Ferraro had told the commission, "Let us do what we were sent here to dodecide important questions of human rights on their merits, not avoid them. After reviewing the roster of experienced women politicians (an inherently short shortlist, notes Howes. "Now that was fun" Geraldine Ferraro, after the October 11 vice-presidential debate, What she went into [the debate] really wanting to prove was that she was very substantive and very knowledgeable and even-tempered, recalls Donna Zaccaro, her eldest daughter. Geraldine Ferraro, in full Geraldine Anne Ferraro, married name Geraldine Zaccaro, (born August 26, 1935, Newburgh, New York, U.S.died March 26, 2011, Boston, Massachusetts), American Democratic politician who was the first woman to be nominated for vice president by a major political party in the United States; as such, she served as Walter Jeffrey, who had deep ties among labor, civil rights, and womens rights activists, was convinced, and shed drop Ferraros name in conversations with her peers when the topic turned to potential vice presidents.
Mondale: Geraldine Ferraro was a 'gutsy pioneer' - CNN.com [116] The case against him was circumstantial, a key prosecution witness proved unreliable, and the defense did not have to present its own testimony.
Geraldine Ferraro Biography - Facts, Childhood, Family Life 290 in Ridgewood, Queens was renamed the Geraldine A. Ferraro Campus. | READ MORE. [31][55] In turn, Mondale accepted the risk that came with her inexperience. [188] Clinton publicly expressed disagreement with Ferraro's remarks, while Ferraro vehemently denied she was a racist. Shes a member of the leadership; the Speaker [Tip ONeill] likes her, labor unions like her, she has been active on issues for older voters.. [203] In reaction to the nomination, Ferraro said, "It's great to be the first, but I don't want to be the only. [3], In 2007, Ferraro received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Sons of Italy Foundation. Ferraro, flabbergasted and flattered, agreed to toss her hat into the ring, but the possibility of her actually becoming a vice-presidential candidate seemed remote, she wrote in her memoir, Ferraro: My Story. [28] She subsequently received an honorary degree from Case Western Reserve University (2003).
How Geraldine Ferraro Was Treated As a Female VP Candidate - The Cut 1984. - CSMonitor.com [152] The other candidates were Congressman Charles Schumer and New York City Public Advocate Mark J. ), The Smithsonians National Museum of American History political historian Lisa Kathleen Graddy, who curated the museums exhibit on suffrage, says Ferraros candidacy mirrors the challenges women have faced professionally, in the 80s and today. These articles didnt necessarily pass journalistic muster at papers like the New York Times, but they still catalyzed the news cycle. During 1980, she tried to prevent the federal government from gaining the power to override local laws on hazardous materials transportation, an effort she continued in subsequent years. [50], While in the House, Ferraro's political self-description evolved to "moderate". Their question to Ferraro: Was she game? She's pretty. [161] Ferraro was connected with many other political and non-profit organizations. [188] Ferraro became livid and distraught when one of her daughters voted for Obama in the Massachusetts primary, saying "What is the matter with you? [90] In the days leading up to the debate, Second Lady of the United States Barbara Bush had publicly referred to Ferraro as "that four-million-dollarI can't say it, but it rhymes with 'rich'. [8] She kept her birth name professionally, as a way to honor her mother for having supported the family after her father's death,[1][2] but used his name in parts of her private life. [171] Ferraro became a frequent speaker on the disease,[172] and an avid supporter and honorary board member of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. [141] Ferraro's second book, a collection of her speeches, was titled Changing History: Women, Power and Politics and was published in 1993. Seizes 'Genderless Issue' of Tax Returns to Attack Ferraro", "Husband Plans Tax Disclosure With Ferraro", "Press values clash over coverage of Ferraro 'ties' to mob", "Ferraro Denies Any Wrongdoing; 2d Loan By Zaccaro From Estate", "To have (as a running mate), and hold (politely)", "Aide to Ferraro Demands Bush Make Apology", "Vice President George Bush's spokesman Peter Teeley, who acknowledged", "Transcript of M.E. [151] The show stayed strong in ratings for CNN,[152] and the job was lucrative. Mid-flight on the campaign plane, Ferraro found out via a New York Post article that her parents had been arrested for a numbers racket shortly before her fathers death 40 years earlier. [125] Ferraro emphasized her career as a teacher, prosecutor, congresswoman, and mother, and talked about how she was tough on crime. Perhaps rupturing the glass ceiling could generate enough enthusiasm to shake up the race in the Democrats favor. [2][3][4][5] She had three brothers born before her, but one died in infancy and another at age three. At the crux of the scandal was this: Ferraro and Zaccaro had filed separate tax returns, and she planned to release hers, while he did not. Three weeks later, the sense of post-convention momentum deflated as the national spotlight on Ferraro also put its glare on her family: her mother, in honor of whom Ferraro had decided to use her maiden name professionally; her three children, who took time off from college and work to campaign; and especially her husband, John Zaccaro, and his real-estate business. And so now it is wonderful to see a woman on a national ticket. [24] While organizing community opposition to a proposed building, Ferraro met lawyer and Democratic figure Mario Cuomo, who became a political mentor. [43][44] Male colleagues viewed her with respect as someone who was tough and ambitious[38] and in turn she was, as The New York Times later wrote, "comfortable with the boys". While some polls did indicate that a woman on the Democratic ticket might sway voters, then-CBS News pollster Kathy Frankovic explained in The Ferraro Factor: The Womens Movement, the Polls, and the Press that the sum total of data yielded mostly muddy hypotheses. [36] (While the Mondale campaign had anticipated some questions, it had only spent 48 hours on vetting Ferraro's family's finances.
Geraldine Ferraro Dies at 75 | PBS NewsHour Afterward, the press asked whether shed cried when reading the news. Lila Thulin "I thought about that one for a while after, it felt slimy," says Roberts.
GERALDINE FERRARO Obituary (2011) - New York, NY - New York Times Mondale remembered by Geraldine Ferraro's daughter | Fox News "[187] Her comments resonated with some older white women, but generated an immediate backlash elsewhere. When Reagans popularity was at its nadir in early 1983, the electoral calculus went something like this: A woman might help clinch a Democratic victory in a close race. [120] Ferraro was a fellow at the Harvard Institute of Politics from 1988 to 1992,[28] teaching in-demand seminars such as "So You Want to be President? 5. In the general election, Mondale and Ferraro were defeated in a landslide by incumbent President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George H. W. Bush. [81] Reagan captured 55percent of women voters[98] and about the same share of Catholic voters, the latter being the highest level yet for a Republican presidential candidate. [nb 1] She was also a journalist, author, and businesswoman. [57] In her acceptance speech, Ferraro said, "The daughter of an immigrant from Italy has been chosen to run for vice president in the new land my father came to love. In 1984, I couldn't say, Stop it, she explained to Newsweek. [14] During her senior year she began dating John Zaccaro of Forest Hills, Queens, who had graduated from Iona College with a commission in the U.S. Marine Corps. Two Reagan campaign aides oversaw a covert effort to comb through the Ferraro-Zaccaro records, and then seeded stories with those two papers, including the piece about her parents. [128] Ferraro said there had been efforts to oust the company at the time, but they had remained in the building for three more years. Cookie Settings, Wally McNamee / CORBIS / Corbis via Getty Images, National Air and Space Museum, gift of Tam O'Shaughnessy (2); National Museum of American History, And for Vice PresidentWhy Not a Woman? , The prospect of a Democrat putting a woman on the ticket was often placed in the context of electability: Would it help them unseat the incumbent President? Later, when Reagans approval ratings rebounded, the argument evolved. Ferraro earned her bachelor's degree at Marymount Manhattan College in 1956. [60], Ferraro gained immediate, large-scale media attention. Ferraro had drawn attention, Sheila Caudle wrote in Ms. Magazines July 1984 issue, because, She is the sort of pragmatic politician that the voting populaceand the men in the back roomscould find most palatable: Attractive, but not beauty-pageant beautifulA modern career woman, but one steeped in Old World values. You have seen my involvement with her." Echoing a statement she wrote about herself in 1988,[31] Ferraro said that "I was talking about historic candidacies and what I started off by saying (was that) if you go back to 1984 and look at my historic candidacy, which I had just talked about all these things, in 1984, if my name was Gerard Ferraro instead of Geraldine Ferraro, I would have never been chosen as a vice-presidential candidate. Later, she vowed to help defend Clinton from being "swiftboated" in a manner akin to 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry. [150] She sparred effectively with "from the right" co-host Pat Buchanan,[150] for whom she developed a personal liking. In the fall of 1983, a handful of women ate Chinese takeout in a tiny Washington, D.C. apartment, half of them seated on folding chairs. Bush. [167], Framing a Life: A Family Memoir was published by Ferraro in November 1998. [112], Despite the one-sided national loss in 1984, Ferraro was still viewed as someone with a bright political future.
The New York Times wrote at the time: "If Ms. Ferraro's rise was meteoric, her political career's denouement was protracted, often agonizing and, at first glance, baffling. [188] In March 2008 Ferraro gave an interview with the Daily Breeze in which she said: "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. [187], A heated nomination battle emerged between Clinton and Barack Obama. Men dont do that., White women have got their representative, a black woman delegate to the convention told Gloria Steinem for Ms. magazine, and that makes me proud as a woman, but I need to know that shes going to fight and stand for me.. [42] In particular, she assisted the successful effort of the Ridgewood and Glendale neighborhoods to get their ZIP codes changed from Brooklyn to their native Queens. In Ferraros home state of New York, the incumbents won by 7.5 points. [9] Beginning in 1947, she attended and lived at the parochial Marymount Academy in Tarrytown, New York, using income from a family rental property in Italy and skipping seventh grade. Each of the fortune cookies had been threaded with customized slips that hinted at the real reason the women were there: to get the first woman nominated as vice president by a major party. She is, in essence, something of a fairy-tale candidate., III. Ferraro parried back" I dont know if I were, if I were not a woman, if I would be judged in the same way on my candidacy, whether or not Id be asked questions like, you know, are you strong enough to push the button. "[65], The choice of Ferraro was viewed as a gamble, and pundits were uncertain whether it would result in a net gain or loss of votes for the Mondale campaign. After studying gargantuan briefing books prepared by advisers like future secretary of state Madeleine Albright, she rehearsed rigorously. The race for the White House was on. She adopted, Finally, a tough Democrat, as her campaign slogan in her first campaign for Congress. By a three-to-one margin, voters thought that pressure from women's groups had led to Mondale's decision rather than his having chosen the best available candidate. But I know full well the only reason Im on that short list is because Im a woman, she told the Washington Post), feather-duster platinum hair, her figure. All this unfolded amid an outpouring of feminist activism and shifting attitudes about women in politics. President Obama describes Ferraro as a political "trailblazer". The battle of the surrogate presidential campaigners took another unexpected twist today when Geraldine Ferraro stepped down from a fundraising post in Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign after.