Capitol Women: Texas Female Legislators, 1923-1999

By Nancy Baker Jones

Book Overview

Along with bar rooms and bordellos, there has hardly been a more male-focused institution in Texas history than the Texas Legislature. Yet the eighty-six women who have served there have made a mark on the institution through the legislation they have passed, much of which addresses their concerns as citizens who have been inadequately represented by male lawmakers. This first complete record of the women of the Texas Legislature places such well-known figures as Kay Bailey Hutchison, Sissy Farenthold, Barbara Jordan, Irma Rangel, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Susan Combs, and Judith Zaffirini in the context of their times and among the women and men with whom they served. Drawing on years of primary research and interviews, Nancy Baker Jones and Ruthe Winegarten offer concise biographies and profiles of all eighty-six women who have served or currently hold office in the Texas Legislature. The biographies describe the women lawmakers' lives, campaign strategies, and legislative successes and defeats. Four introductory essays provide historical and cultural context for the biographies, which are arranged chronologically to give a sense of the passage of time, of relationships among and between women, and of the issues of their eras.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0292740638
• ISBN13: 9780292740631
• Release Date: March 2000
• Publisher: University of Texas Press
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 1.0" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

Information Book on Texas Legislature

"Capitol Women" describes the history of women in Texas legislative politics followed by biographies of every woman who served in the Texas legislature. This book argues that female legislators have had to decide whether to conform to expectations of a male dominated institution, and thus be underminded by being viewed as less capable as male legislators, or to challenge these norms and thus possibly become outcasts. To overcome preconceptions, some Texas female legislators suggest women should either a.) learn the political system and how things operate or b.) work to change and improve the current political system. Some suggest creating strategies incorporating both elements. Still, even recently, State Sen. Judith Zaffirini was advised by a Lt. Governor that "if she cut her skirt off about six inches and put on some high heels, she could pass anything she wants." Texas has elected women as Governors. Ironically, the first female Texas Governor, "Ma" Ferguson, wife of previous Governor Jim Ferguson, was elected in 1924 with support from antisuggragists and the active opposition of many women. Some legislators then questioned, since Texas law prevented a married woman from legally signing transactions without her husband's signature, whether she would need her husband's signature to approve legislation transferring state property to the federal government. Ann Richards was elected Governor along with the largest percentage of female legislators that had existed prior. The book argues that more women in politics can make a difference, as the Richards Era was credited for increased attention to mental retardation facilities, crime victims' rights, protection against stalkers, reducing family violence, increasing child immunization, and other issues championed primarily by female politicians. Someday, there will be a time when a person's gender is not a significant consideration in politics. Until that time comes, this book is a great chronicle of women in the Texas legislature.