For decades, Elizabeth Hawkes was the only practicing woman attorney in northern Wisconsin, and she was the first woman president of the Wisconsin State Colleges Board.

Florence Bascom was a trailblazing geologist and the first woman to receive a degree from Johns Hopkins University.

Sister Mary Kenneth Keller was the first U.S. woman to earn a Ph.D. in computer sciences and worked to expand access to computers in education.

Dr. Marci Bowers is an internationally respected surgeon who specializes in gender-affirming surgery and clitoral restoration.

Francesca Hong is a professional chef and restaurant owner, as well as Wisconsin’s first Asian American state legislator.

Maud Neprud Otjen was the first woman in Wisconsin to be a county superintendent of schools and encouraged women to be involved in civic life.

On June 10, 1919, Wisconsin became the first to ratify the 19th Amendment allowing for women's suffrage, or the right to vote.

Glenn Wise became the first woman to hold a statewide public office in Wisconsin when she was appointed secretary of state in 1955.

Nellie Wilson spent her life fighting for employment opportunities for women and was the first African American woman to hold a leadership position in her local steelworkers union.

Ruth Harman Walraven was a trailblazing female pilot in the mid-20th century.