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Margaret
Chase Smith was the first of many things in American politics. She was
the first woman to serve in both the House and Senate (representing
Maine). When she retired from the Senate in 1973, she was the
longest-serving woman senator until 2011. And she was the first woman to
be placed in nomination at a major party convention to run for
president of the United States. Smith did not achieve the nomination at
the Republican convention in 1964, but she made Americans sit up and
consider the idea of a woman president.
Smith’s
entry into the race sparked hundreds of newspaper stories. They
invariably mentioned her appearance and her age. “Trim as a model, she
carries herself more like a clubwoman than a politician,” one story
noted. “At 66, she is an exceedingly attractive figure,” another
reported, praising Smith as “slender, silver haired,” sincere, and quick
to laugh. But if commentators and reporters admired her figure, they
expressed reservation about her length of years. A columnist for the Los
Angeles Times identified Smith’s age as one of the biggest obstacles
she faced. Richard Wilson wrote that “Mrs. Smith has qualifications and
experience for the Presidency no less than many men who have served in
the office.” But her age “tends to be a disqualifying factor.” This was
especially true given that she would be not only old but also an old
woman. The optimum age for presidents, in Wilson’s view, was late
forties or early fifties. Alas, at this time in life, “the female of the
species undergoes physical changes and emotional distress of varying
severity and duration.” The author never used the indelicate term
“menopause” in his article. But he underscored the change in a woman
midlife “is known to have an effect on judgment and behavior.” The
steady allusions to age were not lost on the candidate herself. “Since
my candidacy was announced, almost every news story starts off ‘the
sixty-six-year-old senator,’ ” she observed. “I haven’t seen the age
played up in the case of the male candidates.”
Smith
was extremely popular in her state and had powerful allies in Congress,
but she didn’t want to play the campaign game. She didn’t fundraise, and
she didn’t campaign much because she refused to miss Senate votes,
decision which doomed her race no matter her sex. But her story is one
of ambition and ethics and hard work. Smith is especially remembered for
a 1950 speech in which she condemned fellow Republican Senator Joseph
McCarthy for his tactics while never mentioning him by name. Read
the story of Margaret Chase Smith at The New Yorker.
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