Breaking Through the Glass Ceiling

Once a teacher of English, history and economics, Lynn Morley Martin starts her political career serving on the Winnebago, Ill., school board in 1972. She soon finds herself in the U.S. House of Representatives, where she earns the nickname "the Axe" for her tight enforcement of budgetary guidelines. She is the first woman elected to a congressional leadership post: vice chair of the House Republican Conference. A tireless advocate for women's and social issues, Martin is tapped by George H.W. Bush to serve as secretary of labor in 1991. During her time at the department, she establishes the Glass Ceiling Commission to assist women and minorities, and initiates a model workplace program to provide leadership guidance for U.S. employers.