American women founders

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is an American politician, lawyer, and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator representing New York from 2001 to 2009, and the first lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001 as the wife of Bill Clinton. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the party's nominee in the 2016 presidential election, becoming the first woman to win a presidential nomination by a major U.S. political party and the only woman to win the popular vote for U.S. president. Clinton lost the United States Electoral College vote to Republican Party nominee Donald Trump. She is the only first lady of the United States to have run for elected office.

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influential figure in popular music. With estimated sales of 124 million records, she is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Publications such as Billboard and Rolling Stone have ranked her among the greatest artists in history.

Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Queen of Pop", she is known for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, and visual presentation. Her works incorporate social, political, sexual, and religious themes and have generated both controversy and critical acclaim. Madonna has had a significant socio-cultural impact across both the 20th and 21st centuries and is often deemed one of the greatest musicians of all time.

American deafblind author, political activist, lecturer, scholar (1880-1968)

Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was a British and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. She then became the world's highest-paid movie star in the 1960s, remaining a well-known public figure for the rest of her life. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked her seventh on its list of the greatest female screen legends.

Miley Ray Cyrus is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. An influential figure in popular music, Cyrus is known for her evolving artistry and image reinventions. She was an established child actress before developing a successful entertainment career as an adult. Cyrus emerged as a teen idol with her portrayal of Miley Stewart in the Disney Channel television series Hannah Montana (2006–2011), growing a profitable franchise and achieving two number-one soundtracks on the Billboard 200.

Whitney Elizabeth Houston was an American singer, actress, film producer, and record producer. Commonly referred to as "the Voice", she is one of the most awarded performers of all time. A cultural icon, she broke down gender and racial barriers through her artistic achievements and music videos. Known for her vocal delivery, gospel singing style, crossover appeal, and live performances, Houston was ranked second on Rolling Stone's list of the greatest singers of all time in 2023.

lawyer and former First Lady of the United States (2009-2017)

Jane Seymour Fonda is an American actress and activist. Fonda's work spans several genres and over seven decades of film and television. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, eight Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award as well as nominations for a Grammy Award and two Tony Awards. Fonda is also the recipient of various honorary awards including the Honorary Palme d'Or in 2007, the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2014, the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in 2017, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2021, and the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2025.

Melania Knauss Trump is a Slovenian and American former model serving as the first lady of the United States since 2025, a role she previously held from 2017 to 2021 as the third wife of Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president of the United States. She is the first naturalized citizen and the first non-native English speaker to become first lady; the second foreign-born first lady, after Louisa Adams; the second Roman Catholic first lady, after Jacqueline Kennedy; and the second to hold the position nonconsecutively, after Frances Cleveland.

First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989

American feminist social activist, reformer, social worker, sociologist, philosopher, and writer (1860–1935)

First Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009

American women's rights activist (1820-1906)

American educator and First Lady of the United States from 2021 to 2025

American writer, suffragist and Women's Rights activist (1815–1902)

American activist and journalist (born 1934)

American actress (born 1956)

Russian occult writer (1831-1891)

Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Lauper is known for her distinctive image, which features eccentric clothing and a variety of hair colors. She is also known for her powerful four-octave vocal range. Lauper has been dubbed the "Queen of Quirky Pop". She has sold over 50 million records worldwide. She has also been celebrated for her humanitarian work, particularly as an advocate for LGBTQ rights in the United States.

First Lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977

American feminist writer and activist (1921–2006)

American birth control activist and nurse (1879–1966)

American writer and feminist activist (1934–1992)

American author, activist, and civil rights leader; wife of Martin Luther King, Jr.

first black woman elected to the United States Congress (1924-2005)

Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, known professionally as Halsey, is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Noted for her distinctive singing voice, she has received numerous accolades, including three Billboard Music Awards, a Billboard Women in Music Award, and an American Music Award, as well as nominations for three Grammy Awards. She was on Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2020.

American author, co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (1827–1915)

American journalist, social activist, and Catholic convert (1897-1980)

American comedian, producer, actress, and television personality

American founder of Christian Science (1821–1910)

American Civil War nurse (1821–1912)

American congresswoman for Montana (1880-1973)

American journalist and civil rights activist (1862–1931)

American suffragist, feminist, and activist (1885–1977)

First Lady of the United States from 1923 to 1929

Greek and American businesswoman (born 1950)

American novelist and editor (1930–1999)

American singer-songwriter

American politician (1920-1998)

American fashion model

Ghislaine Noelle Marion Maxwell is a British former socialite and convicted child sex offender. In 2021 she was convicted of child sex trafficking, and in 2022 was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

American suffragist (1793–1880)

American politician (1935–2011)

American computer scientist (1949-2003)

Canadian born US feminist scholar, activist and writer (1945-2012)

American abolitionist and suffragist (1818-1893)

American social reformer, suffragist (1859-1947)

American conservative activist (1924-2016)

American chemist (1842-1911)

American politician (1890-1964)

Candace Amber Owens Farmer is an American political commentator, author, and conspiracy theorist. Her political positions have mostly been described as conservative or far-right. She has promoted conspiracy theories on a wide range of subjects throughout her career. Since 2024, she has espoused antisemitic conspiracy theories.

American artist, author, and teacher (born 1939)

American art collector, art dealer, museum founder and socialite (1898–1979)

American abolitionist, writer

First Lady of California from 2003 to 2011

American feminist writer

first native-born American saint of the Roman Catholic Church (1774-1821)

novelist, poet, screenwriter, activist (born 1944)

Virginia Lee Giuffre was an American and Australian advocate for survivors of sex trafficking and one of the most prominent accusers of Jeffrey Epstein. Giuffre provided detailed allegations to media outlets about Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. She alleged that Epstein ran a trafficking ring, outsourcing girls for sexual services.