Hattie Wyatt Caraway

Hattie Ophelia Wyatt Caraway was an American politician who was the first woman elected to the United States Senate for a full term. Caraway was the Arkansas representative. She was the Senate's first female president. She was re-elected to a full term in 1932 with the strong backing of neighboring Louisiana Senator Huey Long. Although nicknamed “Silent Hattie,” Hattie Wyatt Caraway made noise in 1932 when she became the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate, representing Arkansas.

Caraway was selected to fill her husband's seat after he died the previous year. In a special election in 1932, she received an astonishing 92% of the vote. Later that year, she ran in the regularly scheduled election and won again. During her 14 years in Congress, Caraway made history by becoming the first woman to preside over a Senate session and the first woman to chair a committee. She was also the first woman to cast a vote on the Equal Rights Amendment (1943). She left government in 1945 after losing her attempt for a third term.

Caraway was a prohibitionist who, along with other Southern Democratic senators, voted against anti-lynching legislation. She largely supported the New Deal. Caraway's rejection of the Arkansas elite in insisting on becoming more than a temporary stand-in for her husband enabled her to create an important precedent for women in politics. Caraway's careful and capable devotion to Senate obligations garnered the respect of her colleagues, encouraged proponents of expanded public positions for women, and proved that political talents were not just the domain of men.

Detailed information:
Full name: Hattie Ophelia Wyatt Caraway
Born: February 1, 1878
Died: December 21, 1950
Notable works:

• United States Senatorfrom Arkansas