Whether it's trying to break into the Senate, the House, or local state governments, women have been attempting to shatter the glass ceiling of politics for decades. One particular female politician pulled it off: former Texas Gov. Ann Richards.
Richards, a Democrat, spent only one term in office from 1991 through 1995, but her impact is still being felt. Richards was the first woman elected as governor of Texas in her own right, (Miriam "Ma" Ferguson was technically the first woman elected to the top post in the Lone Star State, but as a surrogate for her husband Jim "Pa" Ferguson who resigned to avoid impeachment).
Richards made it a priority as governor to appoint more women to Texas state boards and commissions. She was brazen, bold, and consistently delivered political zingers that would end up living on well after her death. She passed away in 2006, but her legacy lives on with the new Broadway show "Ann" starring Holland Taylor.