Winning the Earthquake: How Jeannette Rankin Defied All Odds to Become the First Woman in Congress

The first major biography of Jeannette Rankin, a groundbreaking suffragist, activist, and the first American woman to hold federal office.

"Few members of Congress have ever stood more alone while being true to a higher honor and loyalty."
--President John F. Kennedy on Jeannette Rankin

Born on a Montana ranch in 1880, Jeannette Rankin knew how to ride a horse, make a fire, and read the sky for weather. But most of all, she knew how to talk to people, how to convince them of her vision for America. It was this rare skill that led her, in 1916, to become the first woman ever elected to the House of Representatives.

As her first act, Rankin introduced the legislation that would become the 19th Amendment. Throughout her two terms in 1916 and 1940, she continued to introduce and pass legislation benefiting unions, protecting workers, and increasing aid for children in poverty. In 1941, she stood tall as the sole anti-war voice in Congress during WWII, advocating for pacifism in the face of tragedy and stating that you can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake.

A suffragist, feminist, peace activist, workers' rights advocate, progressive, and Republican, Rankin remained ever true to her beliefs--no matter the price she had to pay personally. Yet, despite the momentous steps she made for women in politics, overcoming the boys club of capitalists and career politicians who never wanted to see a woman in Congress, Jeannette Rankin's story has been largely forgotten. In Winning the Earthquake, Lorissa Rinehart deftly uncovers the compelling history behind this singular American hero, bringing her story back to life.

Author: Lorissa Rinehart
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 11/04/2025
Pages: 352
Weight: 1lbs
Size: 9.25h x 6.12w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781250353047


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 07/01/2025 pg. 10
Kirkus Reviews 07/15/2025

About the Author

Lorissa Rinehart is a women's historian, author, and speaker who brings the past to life with fresh urgency. Her work dives into the powerful crossroads of women's history, politics, and war, uncovering the stories that have too often been left out of the spotlight. She's the author of First to the Front and Winning the Earthquake.

Each week on her Substack and podcast, The Female Body Politic, Lorissa unpacks today's headlines through the lens of 250 years of women's political power in America. She holds an MA in Experimental Humanities from NYU and a BA in Literature from UC Santa Cruz, and is passionate about making history feel prescient, inclusive, and impossible to ignore.