In what year was jeanette rankin elected as the first woman in congress?

a. 1880

b. 1916

c. 1920

d. 1940 user: who is the most powerful member of the house of representatives?

a. speaker of the house

b. house minority leader

c. vice president

d. house majority leader

Jeannette Pickering Rankin (June 11,1880 - May 18, 1973) was an American politician and women's rights advocate, and the first woman to hold national office in the United States. She was elected to the U. S. House of Representatives by the state of Montana in 1916, and again in 1940.