Jeannette Rankin born June 1, 1880, died May 18, 1973 When Jeannette Rankin won one of Montana's at-large seats for the House of Representatives in 1916, she became the first Congresswoman. While in Congress, she fought for women's suffrage, and proposed a maternity and infant health bill that became law in 1921. Rankin is more remembered, however, for voting against entry into World War I, a vote for which she lost her seat. She regained a seat in Congress in 1941, only to lose it again after casting the only vote against United States entry into World War II. In 1968, Rankin made one of her final antiwar gestures when at the age of 87 she led the "Jeannette Rankin Brigade" to Washington, D.C. in protest against the Vietnam War.