Ella Grasso

Ella T. Grasso
83rd Governor of Connecticut
In office January 8, 1975 – December 31, 1980
Lieutenant	Robert K. Killian William A. O'Neill
Preceded by	Thomas J. Meskill
Succeeded by	William A. O'Neill
Personal details
Born	(1919-05-10)May 10, 1919 Windsor Locks, Connecticut
Died	February 5, 1981(1981-02-05) (aged 61)
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Thomas Grasso
Children	Susanne Grasso, James Grasso
Profession	Politician

Ella Grasso (May 10, 1919 – February 5, 1981), born Ella Giovanna Oliva Tambussi, was an American politician, and first woman elected governor of Connecticut.

Biography

Grasso was born in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, to Italian immigrant parents. Contrary to popular belief, she was not the first elected woman to serve as governor of a U.S. state; however, Grasso was the first woman who was elected governor "in her own right," without being the wife or widow of a past governor. She was also the first female governor of Connecticut.

After attending St. Mary's School in Windsor Locks, and then the Chaffee School in Windsor, Grasso went on to Mount Holyoke College, in South Hadley, Massachusetts, where she was awarded her B.A. in 1940 and her M.A. in 1942. After graduation, she served as assistant director of research for the War Manpower Commission of Connecticut.

Grasso's summer home was located on Duck River Lane in Old Lyme, Connecticut.

Politics

In 1952, Grasso was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives and served until 1957. She became first woman to be elected Floor Leader of the House in 1955. In 1958 she was elected Secretary of the State of Connecticut and was 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 Platform Drafting Committee for the 1960 Democratic National Convention. She was the co-chairman for the Resolutions Committee for the Democratic National Conventions of 1964 and 1968. In 1970 she was elected as a Democratic representative to the 92nd Congress, and won re-election in 1972.

In 1974 Grasso did not run for re-election to Congress, instead running for the Connecticut governorship, and won. She began her first term in 1975, and was elected to a second term in 1978.

A high point of her career was her decisive handling of a particularly devastating snow storm in February 1978. Known as "The Blizzard of 78" this storm dropped around 30 inches of snow across the state, crippling highways and making virtually all roads impassible. In a bold move, Governor Grasso "Closed the State" by proclamation, and forbade all use of public roads by businesses and citizens and closed all businesses, effectively closing all citizens in their homes. This relieved the rescue and cleanup authorities from the need to help the mounting number of stuck cars, and instead allowed clean-up and emergency services for shut-ins to proceed. The crisis ended on the third day, and she received accolades from all state sectors for her leadership and strength.

Grasso was married to Thomas Grasso in 1942, and together they had two children, Susanne and James. On December 31, 1980, Grasso resigned her office due to her ovarian cancer, and died of it several weeks later on February 5, 1981, at the age of 61. Later that year, President Ronald Reagan posthumously awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the National Women's Hall of Fame inducted her in 1993. She was a member of the inaugural class inducted into the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame in 1994.

External links

• Mount Holyoke biography
• Brief biography
• Bartleby biography
• Ella T. Grasso Papers at Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections
• Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame Bio
• Ella Tambussi Grasso Center for Women in Politics
• Connecticut State Library Bio
• Photo of Grasso's Statue on the Connecticut State Capitol building– the first woman to be represented there