Biographies generously sponsored by Susan D. Whiting.

Biographies

Every woman has a story.

"The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon."

-Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

Women have always played an active role in history. Explore some of the historical women and contemporary newsmakers that continue to impact the world. New biographies are added regularly, so check back to discover inspiring new stories!

Featured Biographies

Poet and author Audre Lorde used her writing to shine light on her experience of the world as a Black lesbian woman and later, as a mother and person suffering from cancer.

Audre Lorde

One of the greatest tennis players of all time and a renowned advocate for women in sports and LGBTQ rights, Billie Jean King won 39 Grand Slam titles in her tennis career and led the fight for equal pay in tennis.

Billie Jean King

As a poet, writer, activist, organizer, legal theorist, and priest, Murray was directly involved in, and helped articulate, the intellectual foundations of two of the most important social justice movements of the twentieth century.

Pauli Murray

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Juliette Gordon Low

Known as the founder of the Girl Scouts, Juliette Gordon Low created the largest and most successful organization for girls in the world.

Biography

Autherine Lucy

Autherine Lucy was the first African American student to attend the University of Alabama

Biography

Dolley Madison

Dolley Madison, the fourth First Lady of the United States, is widely remembered as the most lively of the early First Ladies.

Biography

Ilona Maher is a trailblazing American rugby player who has become a prominent advocate for gender equity, body positivity, and the visibility of women in sports. Through her athletic achievements and influential social media presence, Maher challenges st

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Mary Eliza Mahoney

Mary Eliza Mahoney pursued a nursing career which supported these aims. She is noted for becoming the first African American licensed nurse.

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Wilma Mankiller

Wilma Mankiller is honored and recognized as the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.

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Frances Marion

The winner of two Academy Awards, Frances Marion is credited with writing more than 130 produced films during Hollywood’s silent and early sound eras.

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Sarah McBride

The first openly transgender person elected to a state senate in the U.S., Sarah McBride won a seat in the Delaware Senate on November 3, 2020.

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Barbara McClintock

Barbara McClintock’s perseverance in a male-dominated field led her to become the first woman to receive an unshared Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, inspiring future generations of scientists.

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Ruth Hanna McCormick

Ruth Hanna McCormick Simms was a Republican United States Representative from Illinois who served from 1929 to 1931.

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Patsy Mink

Patsy Mink was the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and the first Asian-American woman to serve in Congress.

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Gabriela Mistral

Chilean author and educator Gabriela Mistral became the first Latin American author to receive the Nobel Prize in literature.

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Maria Mitchell

Maria Mitchell was the first female astronomer in the United States and the first American scientist to discover a comet.

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Janet Mock

Janet Mock became the first transgender woman of color to write and direct an episode of television.

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Charlotte Edith Anderson Monture

Canadian Charlotte Monture moved to the US for nursing training and served in the US Army during World War I.

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Rita Moreno

Rita Moreno became the first Latina woman to earn an “E.G.O.T.:” an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.

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Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison is one of the most celebrated authors in the world.

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Lucretia Mott

Lucretia Mott argued as ardently for women’s rights as for black rights, including suffrage, education, and economic aid.

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Ibtihaj Muhammad

A world-class fencer, Ibtihaj Muhammad made history as the first American to wear a hijab in Olympic competition at the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro.

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Judith Sargent Murray

A prominent essayist of the American republic, Judith Sargent Murray was an early advocate of women’s equality, access to education, and the right to control their earnings.