by Logan Snook
We may be on the national level, but we’re bringing things back to Missouri this week!
Claire McCaskill was the first woman 
elected the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Missouri, but that’s not the only “first” in her book. You may be noticing that many of the women featured throughout our Women’s History Month Trivia Contest have been the first of something – paving the way and creating new opportunities for the next generation, and showing young women to follow their aspirations. McCaskill has disproved stereotypes and bias throughout her career, showing her strength and commitment to public service and government.
Born in rural Missouri, McCaskill comes from a family of devoted public servants. From an early age, McCaskill was encouraged to participate in politics by her parents. Her father, a World War II veteran, served as Missouri State Insurance Commissioner, and her mother was the first woman on the Columbia City Council.
McCaskill attended the University of Missouri for her bachelors and J.D. degrees. Upon graduation, McCaskill began working in the public sector, a place she has spent most of her career. In 1982, McCaskill was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives, where she served until 1988. She was elected Jackson County Prosecutor in 1992, becoming the first woman ever elected to the position, raising 3 children under the age of 4 simultaneously. While in this position, she worked to end violent crimes in the county, establishing a domestic violence unit to help prevent domestic violence, sex violence, and child abuse, and created one of the first drug courts in the nation. She served as Jackson County Prosecutor until 1999, when she was appointed Missouri State Auditor.
In 2004, McCaskill ran for Missouri Governor, and was the first person to defeat a sitting governor in a primary. In 2006, McCaskill was the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Missouri, a position she still holds today.
McCaskill is a proponent of a wide array of issues, ranging from military and veteran’s issues, to sexual assault, to middle-class economics. During her first term as Senator, she “waged a successful six-year effort to rein in wasteful wartime contracting practices in Iraq and Afghanistan, ” and has tirelessly worked to help those who have face sexual assault, including reforms to the way the military handles sexual assaults, on top of finding ways to help military veterans. This term, she has launched investigations involving fraud and waste in an Army National Guard recruiting program, financial management at the U.S. Energy Department, and continued her work in preventing sexual violence in higher education.
One of the favorite stories I read about McCaskill involved her joining with Facebook Chief Operating Officer, Sheryl Sandberg, in her movement to encourage young women to be more assertive in professional interactions. McCaskill strongly believes “that ambition and taking risks should be part of our feminine personality.” She recounted a story when she first began running for state legislature, and it goes as follows.
McCaskill was campaigning door to door, and a man answered the door. After hearing her campaign pitch, this is what happened:
“He looked me up and down and then said, ‘Well, you’re too pretty, you’re too young, your hair’s too long. They’ll eat you alive in Jefferson City. You should not be in politics. Go find yourself a husband.’ ” And slammed the door in her face.
“That slammed door has been a huge motivation in my life,” McCaskill said, urging her audience to “find your own slammed door that will push you to achieve great things.”
McCaskill was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, and spent the last few weeks receiving treatment in her home base in St. Louis. She returned back to the Senate last week, tweeting: “Back in DC. Feeling strong. Ready to work. Thank you all for your support! #fightlikeagirl #beatcancer.”