History of Women in the U.S. Congress
Please note: table for Congresses prior to the current one shows maximum number of women elected or appointed to serve in that Congress at one time. Some filled out unexpired terms and some were never sworn in.
| Congress | Dates | Women in the Senate | Women in the House | Total Women | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 65th | 1917-1919 | 0 | (OD, 0R) | 1 | (OD, 1R) | 1 | (0D, 1R) |
| 66th | 1919-1921 | 0 | (0D, 0R) | 0 | (0D, OR) | 0 | (0D, 0R) |
| 67th | 1921-1923 | 1 | (1D, 0R) | 3 | (0D, 3R) | 4 | (1D, 3R) |
| 68th | 1923-1925 | 0 | (0D, 0R) | 1 | (OD, 1R) | 1 | (0D, 1R) |
| 69th | 1925-1927 | 0 | (0D, 0R) | 3 | (1D, 2R) | 3 | (1D, 2R) |
| 70th | 1927-1929 | 0 | (0D, 0R) | 5 | (2D, 3R) | 5 | (2D, 3R) |
| 71st | 1929-1931 | 0 | (0D, 0R) | 9 | (5D, 4R) | 9 | (5D, 4R) |
| 72nd | 1931-1933 | 1 | (1D, 0R) | 7 | (5D, 2R) | 8 | (6D, 2R) |
| 73rd | 1933-1935 | 1 | (1D, 0R) | 7 | (4D, 3R) | 8 | (5D, 3R) |
| 74th | 1935-1937 | 2 | (2D, 0R) | 6 | (4D, 2R) | 8 | (6D, 2R) |
| 75th | 1937-1939 | 2 | (1D, 1R)1 | 6 | (5D, 1R) | 8 | (6D, 2R) |
| 76th | 1939-1941 | 1 | (1D, OR) | 8 | (4D, 4R) | 9 | (5D, 4R) |
| 77th | 1941-1943 | 1 | (1D, OR) | 9 | (4D, 5R) | 10 | (5D, 5R) |
| 78th | 1943-1945 | 1 | (1D, 0R) | 8 | (2D, 6R) | 9 | (3D, 6R) |
| 79th | 1945-1947 | 0 | (0D, 0R) | 11 | (6D, 5R) | 11 | (6D, 5R) |
| 80th | 1947-1949 | 1 | (0D, 1R) | 7 | (3D, 4R) | 8 | (3D, 5R) |
| 81st | 1949-1951 | 1 | (0D, 1R) | 9 | (5D, 4R) | 10 | (5D, 5R) |
| 82nd | 1951-1953 | 1 | (0D, 1R) | 10 | (4D, 6R) | 11 | (4D, 7R) |
| 83rd | 1953-1955 | 2 | (0D, 2R) | 11 | (5D, 6R)2 | 13 | (5D, 8R)2 |
| 84th | 1955-1957 | 1 | (OD, 1R) | 16 | (10D, 6R)2 | 17 | (10D, 7R)2 |
| 85th | 1957-1959 | 1 | (0D, 1R) | 15 | (9D, 6R) | 16 | (9D, 7R) |
| 86th | 1959-1961 | 2 | (1D, 1R) | 17 | (9D, 8R) | 19 | (10D, 9R) |
| 87th | 1961-1963 | 2 | (1D, 1R) | 18 | (11D, 7R) | 20 | (12D, 8R) |
| 88th | 1963-1965 | 2 | (1D, 1R) | 12 | (6D, 6R) | 14 | (7D, 7R) |
| 89th | 1965-1967 | 2 | (1D, 1R) | 11 | (7D, 4R) | 13 | (8D, 5R) |
| 90th | 1967-1969 | 1 | (0D, 1R) | 11 | (6D, 5R) | 12 | (6D, 6R) |
| 91st | 1969-1971 | 1 | (0D, 1R) | 10 | (6D, 4R) | 11 | (6D, 5R) |
| 92nd | 1971-1973 | 2 | (1D, 1R) | 13 | (10D, 3R) | 15 | (11D, 4R) |
| 93rd | 1973-1975 | 0 | (0D, 0R) | 16 | (14D, 2R) | 16 | (14D, 2R) |
| 94th | 1975-1977 | 0 | (0D, 0R) | 19 | (14D, 5R) | 19 | (14D, 5R) |
| 95th | 1977-1979 | 2 | (2D, 0R) | 18 | (13D, 5R) | 20 | (15D, 5R) |
| 96th | 1979-1981 | 1 | (OD, 1R) | 16 | (11D, 5R) | 17 | (11D, 6R) |
| 97th | 1981-1983 | 2 | (0D, 2R) | 21 | (11D, 10R) | 23 | (11D, 12R) |
| 98th | 1983-1985 | 2 | (0D, 2R) | 22 | (13D, 9R) | 24 | (13D, 11R) |
| 99th | 1985-1987 | 2 | (0D, 2R) | 23 | (12D, 11R) | 25 | (12D, 13R) |
| 100th | 1987-1989 | 2 | (1D, 1R) | 23 | (12D, 11R) | 25 | (13D, 12R) |
| 101st | 1989-1991 | 2 | (1D, 1R) | 29 | (16D, 13R) | 31 | (17D, 14R) |
| 102nd | 1991-1993 | 4 | (3D, 1R)3 | 28 | (19D, 9R)4 | 32 | (22D, 10R)4 |
| 103rd | 1993-1995 | 7 | (5D, 2R)5 | 47 | (35D, 12R)4 | 54 | (40D, 14R)4 |
| 104th | 1995-1997 | 9 | (5D, 4R)6 | 48 | (31D, 17R)4 | 57 | (36D, 21R)4 |
| 105th | 1997-1999 | 9 | (6D, 3R) | 54 | (37D, 17R)7 | 63 | (43D, 20R)7 |
| 106th | 1999-2001 | 9 | (6D, 3R) | 56 | (39D, 17R)8 | 65 | (45D, 20R)8 |
| 107th | 2001-2003 | 13 | (9D, 4R)9 | 59 | (41D, 18R)9 | 73 | (51D, 22R)9 |
| 108th | 2003-2005 | 14 | (9D, 5R) | 60 | (39D, 21R)10 | 74 | (48D, 26R)10 |
| 109th | 2005-2007 | 14 | (9D, 5R) | 68 | (43D, 25R)11 | 82 | (52D, 30R)11 |
| 110th | 2007-2009 | 16 | (11D, 5R) | 72 | (52D, 20R)12 | 88 | (63D, 25R)12 |
| 111th | 2009-2011 | 17 | (13D, 4R)13 | 73 | (56D, 17R)13 | 90 | (69D, 21R)13 |
| 112th | 2011-2013 | 17 | (12D, 5R) | 73 | (49D, 24R)14 | 90 | (61D, 29R)14 |
| 113th | 2013-2015 | 20 | (16D, 4R) | 80 | (61D, 19R)15 | 100 | (77D, 23R)15 |
| 114th | 2015-2017 | 20 | (14D, 6R) | 84 | (62D, 22R) | 104 | (76D, 28R) |
| 115th | 2017-2019 | 23 | (17D, 6R) | 87 | (64D, 23R)16 | 110 | (81D, 29R)16 |
| 116th | 2019-2021 | 25 | (17D, 8R)17 | 102 | (89D, 13R) | 127 | (106D, 21R) |
| 1 | A total of three (2D, 1R) women served in the Senate in the 75th Congress, but no more than two served together at any one time. Part of the time two Democrats served together, and part of the time one Democrat and one Republican served together. |
| 2 | Does not include a Republican Delegate to the House from pre-statehood Hawaii. |
| 3 | On election day in 1992, three women served in the Senate; two were elected and one was appointed. On November 3rd, Dianne Feinstein won a special election to complete two years of a term; she was sworn in on November 10, 1992. |
| 4 | Does not include a Democratic Delegate to the House from Washington, DC. |
| 5 | Includes Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), who won a special election on June 5, 1993 to serve out the remaining year and one half of a term. |
| 6 | Includes Sheila Frahm (R-KS), who was appointed on June 11, 1996 to fill a vacancy caused by resignation. She was defeated in her primary race to complete the full term. |
| 7 | Does not include two Democratic Delegates from the Virgin Islands and Washington, DC. Also does not include Susan Molinari (R-NY) who resigned 8/1/97. Includes 4 women (2 Democrats and 2 Republicans) who won special elections in March, April, and June 1998. |
| 8 | Does not include two Democratic Delegates from the Virgin Islands and Washington, DC. |
| 9 | House figure does not include two Democratic Delegates from the Virgin Islands and Washington, DC; Patsy Takemoto Mink (D-HI), who died on September 19, 2002. Senate figure does not include Jean Carnahan (D-MO) who stepped down on November 23, 2002. Does include Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), who was appointed to fill a Senate vacancy on December 20, 2002. |
| 10 | Does not include three Democratic Delegates from Guam, the Virgin Islands and Washington, DC. Does include Stephanie Herseth (D-SD), who won a special election June 1, 2004 to fill a vacancy. |
| 11 | Does not include three Democratic Delegates from Guam, the Virgin Islands and Washington, DC. Does include Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-CA), who died on April 22, 2007. |
| 12 | Includes all current women House members; does not include three Democratic Delegates from Guam, the Virgin Islands and Washington, DC. Does not include Stephanie Tubbs Jones who passed away, but does include Marcia Fudge who won a special election to replace her. |
| 13 | Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) moved from the House to the Senate when she was appointed on January 26, 2009 to fill a vacancy. Does not include Hillary Rodham Clinton, who was sworn in but resigned 1/16/09; Hilda Solis, who was sworn in but resigned on 2/17/09; and Ellen Tauscher, who resigned 6/26/09. Does include Judy Chu, who won a special election 7/14/09. Does not include three Democratic Delegates from Guam, the Virgin Islands and Washington, DC. |
| 14 | Includes Kathy Hochul (D-NY) who won a special election. Does not include Jane Harman who resigned on 2/28/11; includes Janice Hahn (D-CA) who won a special election to replace her. Does not include Gabrielle Giffords who resigned on 1/24/12. Does include Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) who won a special election. Does not include three Democratic Delegates from Guam, the Virgin Islands and Washington, DC. |
| 15 | Does not include JoAnn Emerson (R-MO) who resigned on January 22, 2013. Includes Robin Kelly (D-IL) who won a special election. Includes Katherine Clark (D-MA) who won a special election 12/10/13 to fill a vacancy. Includes Alma Adams (D-NC) who won a special election 11/4/14. |
| 16 | Includes Karen Handel (R-GA), who won a special election on June 20, 2017 to serve out the remaining year and one half of a term. Includes Tina Smith (D-MN) who was appointed to fill a vacancy on January 3, 2018. Includes Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) who was appointed to fill a vacancy on April 9, 2018. Includes Debbie Lesko (R-AZ), who won a special election on April 25, 2018. Includes Brenda Jones (D-MI), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), and Susan Wild (D-PA), who won a special elections on November 6, 2018. House numbers do not include Louise Slaughter (D-NY) who died on March 16, 2018. Does not include three Democratic Delegates from Guam, the Virgin Islands and Washington, DC and two Republican Delegates from American Samoa and Puerto Rico. |
| 17 | Includes Martha McSally (R-AZ) who was appointed to fill a vacancy on January 3rd, 2019. |