Geraldine Ferraro, the former Queens congresswoman who in 1984 became the first female nominee for vice-president, died today in Massachusetts at 75. The cause of death was complications from a blood cancer she had battled for twelve years. As Walter F. Mondale’s surprise choice for veep in an unsuccessful bid against Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, Ferraro’s prominence and ascendance “gave many women heart.” [NYT]
