Geraldine Ferraro was the first woman nominated by a major political power as its candidate for Vice President of the United States.
 
A teacher and then attorney, Ferraro worked in the Queens, New York District Attorney's office, where she started the Special Victims Bureau. Ferraro ran successfully for Congress from New York City's 9th District in 1978. There, she was a women's and human rights advocate, working for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, sponsoring the Women's Economic Equity Act ending pension discrimination against women, and seeking greater job training and opportunities for displaced homemakers.