(b. 1935) Geraldine Ferraro was Walter Mondale's vice-presidential nominee in 1984; her candidacy marked the first
time a major party had nominated a woman for vice-president. Before her
nomination, Ferraro served three terms in the House of Representatives as a
Democratic representative from New York (specifically
Queens).
Ferraro's candidacy didn't particularly help Mondale. Throughout the
campaign, opponents plagued her with accusations of fraudulent tax returns and
shady financial deals. Ultimately, Ferraro and Mondale lost the '84 election by
a landslide, winning only Washington, D.C. and Mondale's home state of
Minnesota; they even lost New York, Ferraro's home state and a Democratic
stronghold (at least at that time). Moreover, exit polls suggested
that Ferraro didn't even give Mondale the women's vote; most women reportedly
voted for Ronald Reagan and George Bush.
After losing the election, Ferraro hit the lecture circuit for a while; she
taught at Harvard, then lost a race for the Senate in 1992.