Watkins, Susan Alice, Marisa Rueda, and Marta Ro-
driguez. Introducing Feminism. Cambridge, En-
gland: Icon Books, 1999. An accessible introduc-
tory text that covers the development of the
movement, looking at feminism’s challenges and
achievements.
Susan A. Farrell
See also Abortion; Business and the economy in
the United States; Ferraro, Geraldine; O’Connor,
Sandra Day; Reagan, Ronald; Supreme Court deci-
sions; Women’s rights.
Ferraro, Geraldine
Identification U.S representative and the first
female major-party nominee for vice president
of the United States
Born August 26, 1935; Newburgh, New York
Through her representation of her constituents and party,
Ferraro advanced the cause of women hoping to hold high
political office in the United States.
The daughter of an Italian immigrant, Geraldine
Ferraro worked her way through college and law
school. After a brief legal career, she was elected to
the House of Representatives in
- Ferraro served three two-
year terms there before Democrat
Walter Mondale selected her to
be his vice presidential running
mate in 1984. Mondale had served
as vice president under President
Jimmy Carter before he and Car-
ter were defeated in their bid for
reelection by Ronald Reagan and
Bush, George H. W.
Running against a reasonably
popular incumbent seeking a sec-
ond term, Mondale was a slight
underdog and sought a dramatic
gesture that might enable him to
overtake the Reagan-Bush team.
He decided to use his choice of
running mate as a statement about
the inclusiveness and progressive-
ness of the Democratic Party, and
he sought a woman or racial mi-
nority to complete his ticket. Af-
ter inter viewing several candidates, Mondale settled
on Ferraro, hoping that the excitement over the his-
toric nomination of a woman to be vice president
would help him win votes.
Ferraro’s nomination was initially met with favor-
able publicity, but problems soon developed.
Ferraro was both pro-choice and a Roman Catholic.
Her decision to protect a woman’s right to terminate
her pregnancy thus put her at odds with her faith, a
fact discussed in the media. Immediately after her
nomination, moreover, Ferraro promised that both
she and her husband, John Zaccaro, would release
their tax returns. A month later, she announced that
she would release hers, but Zaccaro could not re-
lease his for business reasons. This provoked a media
storm, forcing Ferraro to seek a compromise: She
announced that Zaccaro would release a financial
statement instead of a tax return. Initially, he refused
to release even this statement; this long, drawn-out
incident in the middle of the campaign seriously
compromised Ferraro’s credibility.
Ferraro comported herself well in her vice pres-
idential debate against George H. W. Bush, even
scoring high marks when she caught Bush being
patronizing. Still, if her candidacy was calculated to
convince more women to vote for the Democratic
ticket, it failed to do so: Post-election exit polls indi-The Eighties in America Ferraro, Geraldine 365
Geraldine Ferraro discusses the finances of her husband, John Zaccaro, during a news
conference on August 21, 1984. Questions about Zaccaro’s financial dealings weakened
Ferraro’s vice presidential candidacy.(AP/Wide World Photos)