Women in the United States Senate After retiring from the Senate, she married former Senator Howard Baker (R-TN). Kassebaum has the distinction of being the first female elected senator who did not succeed her husband in Congress (Margaret Chase Smith was only elected to the Senate after succeeding her husband to his House seat). At the time of her retirement in 1997, Kassebaum was the second longest serving female senator, after Smith (Since 1997 five women have had Senate careers longer than Kassebaum's). The first woman in the Senate was Rebecca Latimer Felton, who served representing Georgia for only one day in 1922. Hattie Caraway became
Kentucky Senate amendment created a new office of President of the Senate to be held by one of the 38 senators. Additionally, each political party elects a floor leader, whip, and caucus chairman. Current party leadership of the Kentucky Senate: Carolyn Conn Moore became the first woman to serve in the Kentucky Senate when in November 1949 she won a special election to replace her husband, J. Lee Moore, in the legislature after his death. Gerald Neal became the first African-American to be elected to the Kentucky Senate in 1988. Gerald Neal also became the first African-American ever to be elected to