Whereas: Stories from the People’s House

Edition for Educators—Behind the Scenes: Pathbreaking Women Staff

Since the opening of the 65th Congress (1917–1919), 397 women have served on the Hill as Representatives, Senators, Delegates, and Resident Commissioners. Women have held seats in Congress from 49 of 50 states, as well as Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa. From Representative Jeannette Rankin’s 1916 election as the first woman in Congress to the 2007 election of Nancy Pelosi of California as the first woman Speaker, the stories of women lawmakers over the previous 105 years are well known and well documented.

Much less known, however, are the stories of the thousands of women who have worked for the House.

In the second half of the nineteenth century, when Members had few if any staff, and the House employed relatively few people as clerks in committee and on the floor, women entrepreneurs often operated concession stands in and around the Capitol. They sold apples and pies and sandwiches. At her shop near the Rotunda, a woman named Clara Morris offered photographs and guidebooks for sale to tourists and visitors.

By the first decades of the twentieth century, women began taking staff positions in Member and committee offices, quickly moving into leadership positions. Stella Deffenbaugh worked as a stenographer for Representative Frank Mondell of Wyoming before running his office in the Capitol when Mondell became Majority Leader in 1919. Only a few years later, in 1925, Mildred Reeves became the top aide to Speaker Nicholas Longworth of Ohio—a position equivalent to today’s chief of staff. Over the course of the twentieth century, pathbreaking women staff members at all levels overcame widespread workplace inequality to help write and pass vital federal policy while assisting countless constituents with an endless number of requests.

Women have also served as high-ranking House Officers. Since 1995, four women have served as Clerk of the House. And in 2021, with the opening of the 117th Congress (2021–2023), Catherine Szpindor became the first woman to serve as the Chief Administrator of the House and Margaret Grun Kibben became the first woman to serve as the House Chaplain.

This Edition for Educators explores the experiences of women who—through their challenges and triumphs—have transformed Congress and opened new opportunities for others to work in government.

Featured People

Elected and Appointed Officials of the House
In 1995, two women made historic firsts in prominent staff positions in the House of Representatives: Robin Carle became the first woman to serve as Clerk of the House, an elected position, and Cheryl Lau became the first woman in the nonpartisan position of General Counsel. Since 1995, three more women have served as Clerk: Karen Haas, Lorraine Miller, and Cheryl Johnson. With the opening of the 117th Congress (2021–2023), the House of Representatives elected Margaret Grun Kibbler as the first woman to serve as House Chaplain and Catherine Szpindor as the first woman to serve as Chief Administrative Officer.

Featured Oral Histories

Featured Highlights

The Five Dunn Sisters Work for the House
On April 8, 1924, the five Dunn sisters ate lunch on the terrace of the House Office Building and sat for a series of photographs. The sisters occupy a unique place in House history as all five—Goldie, Vera, Billie, Marguerite (Marge), and Jean—worked as secretaries for various House Members.

Representative Eliza Jane Pratt of North Carolina
On May 25, 1946, Eliza Jane Pratt became the first woman to represent North Carolina in the House of Representatives. A longtime legislative aide for four North Carolina lawmakers (William C. Hammer, Hinton James, J. Walter Lambeth, and William O. Burgin), Pratt developed a rapport with voters and an extensive knowledge of their legislative interests. When Burgin died during his fourth term in the House on April 11, 1946, the North Carolina Democratic executive committee debated only 30 minutes before nominating Pratt over six other candidates to run for the vacant congressional seat.

The First Black Capitol Police Woman
On October 5, 1974, Arva “Marie” Johnson became the first African-American woman to serve on the Capitol Police force. When the Capitol Police—the congressional law enforcement agency originally founded in 1828—opened its ranks to women in 1974, Johnson applied and was hired. At the age of 24, she joined three other women officers in the inaugural class. Johnson holds the distinction of being the first Black woman on the force, as well as the first woman in uniform—two of the women officers worked a plain-clothes detail.

Featured Objects from the House Collection

Featured Blogs

Mildred Reeves and the Quiet Revolution
Sometime around 1916 or 1917, the exact date isn’t clear, a woman in her early 20s from Washington, DC, named Mildred Reeves took a job in the office of Congressman Nicholas Longworth, an up-and-coming Republican legislator from Ohio. Within just two years or so, Reeves had gone from a minor role handling the mail to becoming one of Longworth’s chief aides, responsible for running his office—a position equivalent to today’s chief of staff.

Through Her Lens
With a bounce in her step and a camera in hand, Dolly Seelmeyer walked through the halls of the United States Capitol, from 1972 to 2004, as the first female House photographer, ready to prove she could do anything a male photographer could do—“and do it better.”

“You’ve Won Your Way Into Our Hearts”
For more than 70 years, Helen Sewell, a hard-working and modest woman, ran a cramped lunch counter in the corner of the L-shaped Republican Cloakroom reserved for Members of Congress just off the House Floor. Known as a “living legend” who “helped keep this institution human when the going gets tough,” Sewell befriended generations of lawmakers and House Pages before retiring in 2005.

This is part of a series of blog posts for educators highlighting the resources available on History, Art & Archives of the U.S. House of Representatives. For lesson plans, fact sheets, glossaries, and other materials for the classroom, see the website's Education section.

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