Female Firsts on Inauguration Day

In many ways it's surprising to learn women still haven't held every job yet.

Monday was the day of completion for the folks who won at the polls last November. Topping the list of those putting their hand on a Bible and making a pledge to the citizens was the new governor of California, Jerry Brown.

It isn't even a first for Brown himself, having worn the hat twice before in the 1970 and '80s.

Two other oaths on Monday were for first timers who were the first of thier kind to hold the job.

Democrat Kamala Harris is the first female to hold the office of attorney general. 

Jean Quan is the first woman to hold the office as mayor of Oakland.

Both women are also minorities. Quan, who is 61, is a Chinese-American. Norman Mineta was the first Asian-American mayor of a major U.S. city, San Jose, but Quan is the first Asian-American female.

Harris, who is 46, is the daughter of a Jamaican father.  Her mother is from India. Harris stuck to the job at hand, while Quan celebrated her "first" status during the day.

Harris told supporters she will be tough but "smart on crime." She pledged to send prosecutors out on the road to work with local district attorneys in order to fight environmental crimes. She also said she will work with the federal government in a regional approach to combatting gangs that cross into and out of Mexico.

Quan marched with supporters through Oakland's Chinatown as a way to honor her roots. She finished the stroll at the Fox Theater for the swearing-in. Quan's father left San Francisco following the 1906 earthquake and ended up settling in Oakland's Chinatown.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us