Hillary Rodham Clinton is, without a doubt, a household name. But long before her, there was another woman who declared a bid for the presidency: Shirley Chisholm.
Chisholm made history in 1968, when she became the first black woman elected to the United States Congress. She represented New York's 12th Congressional District from 1969 to 1983, making a bid for the presidency in 1972 when she ran for the Democratic Party nomination. She was the first woman and the first black person ever to attempt to do so.
Though Chisholm was unsuccessful in pursuing the highest office in the land (and that glass ceiling remains uncracked), she did leave a indelible legacy on Washington DC by founding the Congressional Black Caucus, an institution that continues to thrive well after her passing in 2005.
