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Born Ella Giovanna Oliva Tambussi in Windsor Locks , Connecticut to Italian immigrant parents, she was the first woman to be truly elected Governor of a U.S. State in her own right rather than by succeeding a deceased husband or acting as his surrogate. 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 BA in 1940 and her MA in 1942. After graduation, she served as assistant director of research for the War Manpower Commission Of Connecticut . In 1942, she married Thomas Grasso. The couple had two children, Susanne and James. 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-chairperson for the Resolutions Committee for the Democratic National Conventions of 1964 and 1968 . In 1970 she was elected as a Democratic representive to the 92nd Congress , and won reelection in 1972 . In 1974 Grasso did not run for reelection 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 . 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 . EXTERNAL LINKS
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