Ella Grasso

Ella Tambussi Grasso was born on 10 May 1919 in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. In 1974, Ella Grasso was elected the first woman to serve as Governor of Connecticut. She served as the 83rd Governor of Connecticut from January 8, 1975, to December 31, 1980.

In 1942, Grasso joined the League of Women Voters. In 1943, she became a speechwriter for the Connecticut Democratic Party. Grasso was first elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1952 and later became the first female Floor Leader in 1955. She was then elected as Secretary of the State of Connecticut in 1958 and served until 1971. Grasso then served two terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1970 to 1974. She was then elected Governor in 1974 and re-elected in 1978.

She died on 5 February 1981 at Hartford Hospital.

Source: Ella Tambussi Grasso. CT Women’s Hall of Fame. (n.d.). https://www.cwhf.org/inductees/ella-tambussi-grasso#.XFj4clxKjIU