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Ella T. Grasso

 

 
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Ella T. Grasso
 
 
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Ella Grasso (May 10, 1919 – February 5, 1981), born Ella Giovanna Oliva Tambussi, was an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 politician, and first woman elected governor of Connecticut.

so was born in Windsor Locks, Connecticut
Connecticut

Connecticut is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The state borders New York to the west and south , Massachusetts to the north, and Rhode Island to the east....
, to Italian immigrant parents. Contrary to popular belief, she was not the first elected woman to serve as governor
List of female state governors in the United States

Thirty-one women have been or are currently serving as the governor of a U.S. state, including two in an acting capacity.The first female governor was Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming who was elected on November 4, 1924 and sworn in on January 5, 1925....
 of a U.S. state; however, Grasso was the first woman who was elected governor "in her own right," without being the wife or widow of a past governor.






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Ella Grasso (May 10, 1919 – February 5, 1981), born Ella Giovanna Oliva Tambussi, was an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 politician, and first woman elected governor of Connecticut.

Biography

Grasso was born in Windsor Locks, Connecticut
Connecticut

Connecticut is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The state borders New York to the west and south , Massachusetts to the north, and Rhode Island to the east....
, to Italian immigrant parents. Contrary to popular belief, she was not the first elected woman to serve as governor
List of female state governors in the United States

Thirty-one women have been or are currently serving as the governor of a U.S. state, including two in an acting capacity.The first female governor was Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming who was elected on November 4, 1924 and sworn in on January 5, 1925....
 of a U.S. state; however, Grasso was the first woman who was elected governor "in her own right," without being the wife or widow of a past governor. She was also the first female governor of Connecticut.

After attending St. Mary's School in Windsor Locks, and then the Chaffee School
Loomis Chaffee

The Loomis Chaffee School is a college University-preparatory school for grades 9 through 12 located in historic Windsor, Connecticut, United States It has a total enrollment of 725, 400 boarding and 325 day students, and 150 faculty members....
 in Windsor, Grasso went on to Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College

Mount Holyoke College is a highly selective Liberal arts colleges in the United States Women's colleges in the United States in South Hadley, Massachusetts, Massachusetts....
, in South Hadley
South Hadley, Massachusetts

South Hadley is a New England town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,196 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield, Massachusetts metropolitan area....
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. It borders Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north....
, where she was awarded her B.A. in 1940 and her M.A. in 1942. After graduation, she served as assistant director of research for the War Manpower Commission of Connecticut.

Politics

In 1952, Grasso was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives
Connecticut House of Representatives

The Connecticut House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut....
 and served until 1957. She became first woman to be elected Floor Leader
Floor Leader

Wall Leaders are leaders of their political parties in each of the houses of the legislature....
 of the House in 1955. In 1958 she was elected Secretary of the State of Connecticut
Secretary of the State of Connecticut

The Secretary of State of Connecticut is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is an elected position in the state government....
 and was re-elected in 1962 and 1966. She was the first woman to chair the Democratic State Platform Committee and served from 1956 to 1968. She served as a member of the Platform Drafting Committee for the 1960 Democratic National Convention
Democratic National Convention

The Democratic National Convention is a series of U.S. presidential nominating convention held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party....
. She was the co-chairman for the Resolutions Committee for the Democratic National Conventions of 1964 and 1968. In 1970 she was elected as a Democratic representative to the 92nd Congress
United States Congress

The United States Congress is the Bicameralism legislature of the Federal government of the United States of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives....
, and won re-election in 1972.

In 1974 Grasso did not run for re-election to Congress, instead running for the Connecticut governorship
List of Governors of Connecticut

File:M. Jodi Rell.jpgThe Governor of Connecticut is the head of the executive branch of Connecticut's government and the commander-in-chief of the U.S....
, and won. She began her first term in 1975, and was elected to a second term in 1978.

Grasso was married to Thomas Grasso in 1942, and together they had two children, Susanne and James. On December 31, 1980, Grasso resigned her office due to her ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is a malignant tumor arising from an ovary. Although ovarian cancer is known to occur in many species, the majority of the medical literature and the focus of this article is on ovarian cancer in humans....
, and died of it several weeks later on February 5, 1981, at the age of 61. Later that year, President
President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
 Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan

Ronald Wilson Reagan was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States and the 33rd Governor of California . Born in Illinois, Reagan moved to Los Angeles, California in the 1930s, where he was an actor, president of the Screen Actors Guild , and a spokesman for General Electric ....
 posthumously awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Presidential Medal of Freedom

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is a decoration bestowed by the President of the United States and is, along with theequivalent Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of United States Congress, the highest Civilian decorations of the United States in the United States....
, and the National Women's Hall of Fame
National Women's Hall of Fame

The National Women's Hall of Fame was created in 1969 by a group of people in Seneca Falls , New York, New York, the location of the 1848 Women's Rights Convention....
 inducted her in 1993. She was a member of the inaugural class inducted into the in 1994.

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