With her appointment as U.S. ambassador to Ireland by President Ronald Reagan, Margaret Heckler became the first woman to have served as a member of Congress, in a presidential cabinet, and as an ambassador. She represented Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1967 to 1983, served as secretary of Health and Human Services from 1983 to 1985, and was ambassador to Ireland from 1985 to 1989.