Leading Ladies: American Trailblazers

United States senator Kay Bailey Hutchison examines the lives of sixty-three pioneers in military service, journalism, public health, social reform, science, and politics--all American women.

Following in the footsteps of her national bestseller, American Heroines, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison celebrates female accomplishment in all walks of life. From the Nobel Prize to the halls of Congress, the trailblazers profiled in these skillfully drawn biographical portraits have battled tremendous odds to achieve success--if not always recognition--in their respective fields. Whether committed to a chosen cause or thrust into a public role by personal circumstance, these courageous women have all woven the thin threads of opportunity into sweeping tapestries of achievement.

Mixing historical portraits with modern success stories, Senator Hutchison shows how American women from all periods of history have contributed to the strength and progress of our nation--and no history of the nation can be written without them.

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison grew up in La Marque, Texas, and graduated from the University of Texas and UT Law School. She was twice elected to the Texas House of Representatives. In 1990 she was elected Texas state treasurer, and in 1993 she was the first woman elected to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate. In 2006 she was elected chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee, becoming one of the top four leaders of Senate Republicans and the only woman. She lives in Dallas with her husband, Ray, and their daughter and son, Bailey and Houston.