“I’m having trouble running the mansion. What I need is a wife.”
Ella T. Grasso
Any examination of the history of American women in politics invariably includes the name Ella T. Grasso. In 1974, when an energy crisis was looming and debates about a war were raging in the middle of the world, she would write her name in the history books when she became the first female governor of a US state. What distinguishes it is the fact that Ella Grasso won on her own merits and was not simply succeeding a deceased husband or acting as his substitute. For the past 30 years, Ella Grasso has been rightly regarded as a trailblazer and continues to serve as a role model for politicians like Geraldine Ferrara and Hillary Clinton.
She was born on May 10, 1919 in Windsor Locks, Connecticut to Italian immigrant parents, James and Maria Oliva Tambussi, who named their daughter, Ella Giovanna Oliva. His father owned and operated Windsor Locks Bakery, and his mother worked in a mill. By all accounts, Ella enjoyed a happy childhood, maintaining many interests, including membership in Girl Scouts of America.
He attended St. Mary’s School in Windsor, CT and later the nearby Chaffee School. After graduating from Chaffee in 1936, he entered Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. Four years later, he graduated magna cum laude with a BA in economics and sociology with a double major in history and political science. His academic achievements were many and he obtained a Phi Beta Kappa key in his third year. However, school work wasn’t enough to keep Ella busy. During her junior and senior years at Mount Holyoke, she held positions as a part-time assistant and teacher for the Department of Economics and Sociology.
The year 1942 was important to Her on many levels. Mount Holyoke awarded him a master’s degree in economics and sociology. But the biggest news was her marriage to Thomas Grasso, a school principal, and they would eventually have two children, Susanne and James.
That same year he would begin Ella’s long life of public service by beginning a new position at the Connecticut State Department of Labor. A year later, she became the Connecticut State Deputy Director of Research for the War Manpower Commission and served until 1946. In 1952, Grasso won the Connecticut House of Representatives elections and served until 1957. He became the first woman to be elected House Floor Leader in 1955. In 1958 she was elected Connecticut Secretary of State and re-elected in 1962 and 1966. She was the first woman to chair the Democratic State Platform Committee and served from 1956 to 1968. She served as a member of the Drafting Committee of the Platform for the Democratic National Convention of 1960, and was co-chair of the Resolutions Committee of the Democratic National Conventions of 1964 and 1968. In 1970 she was elected as a Democratic representative in the 92nd Congress and won reelection in 1972.
In 1974, Grasso chose not to be reelected to Congress, opting instead to become the next governor of Connecticut. When she overwhelmingly won the election, the wrinkled, salty-tongued daughter of Italian immigrants won to become America’s first female governor. Her victory helped establish the skills of women politicians and she became the first in a line of strong women elected to the highest offices in the state. She began her first term in 1975 and was elected for a second term in 1978.
Ella Grasso understood that gender could not be an obstacle in her political career. In a speech delivered at Mount Holyoke College, she said that her time at her alma mater taught her that gender is not a “pressing issue in [her] life. “She chose not to adopt the radical feminist stance so common in the 1970s; she chose to win the female vote with her policies on education and health. Winning Connecticut governor in 1974, Newsweek magazine, inspired by her victory and political insight – published a series of articles on women politicians.
Sadly, on December 31, 1980, Governor Grasso resigned due to illness. He passed away several weeks later, on February 5, 1981, at the age of 61, of ovarian cancer. Herments, however, remained intact and the memories of his fellow politicians and constituents. Later that year, President Ronald Reagan posthumously awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom and said: “Long before the women’s movement gained prominence, Ella Grasso had already begun the long and difficult climb to distinction as an elected civil servant. A loving wife and mother, showed that it is possible to reconcile a full family life with a long and rugged political career …[she] he won the respect of fellow citizens of both parties. Tireless in the pursuit of duty and courageous in the face of illness, Ella Grasso has earned the admiration of all Americans as a legislator, governor, and woman of outstanding character and achievement. “
She is remembered for getting the state of Connecticut out of its debt and for creating an “open government,” which gave ordinary citizens easier access to public records. Many citizens still speak reverently of their actions during the 1978 blizzard, when a northeast storm dumped more than two feet of snow on the state. They gratefully recall how he personally organized a massive relief effort even after the state lost all power for three days.
Governor William O’Neill, who succeeded Grasso, said shortly after her passing: “She will never be replaced because she is irreplaceable. She will not be forgotten either.” It would be wise to always remember those who came before us, to acknowledge their courage in the face of criticism and illness. We must never overlook the difficult path that pioneers like Ella T. Grasso chose. In many ways, it is no different than the struggles shared by many Italian Americans who have strived for great things in this country.