Mary Francis "Minnie" Moses

"Cousin Minnie" grew up in Norwalk, CT and was an independent woman. She was born in her grandmother's house in Southport and graduated from Vassar College in 1880. She was the first woman to be appointed to a Federal Civil Service post in 1883. On July 12, 1883, less than 6 months after the Civil Service Act was signed by President Chester Arthur, she took the test and received the highest score. On Sept 5, 1883, 7 days after the first man was appointed on the basis of the test, she received the second appointment- a clerkship in the Bank Redemption Agency of the Treasury Department. She left in 1888 to get married and have children, When her husband died in 1928, she moved to 350 Central Park West in Manhattan and lived there until she died in 1958. Cousin Minnie was a serious Yankee fan and on her 100th birthday, she got a visit from some of them. She also got a letter from President Eisenhower saying, "A door was opened to a new world of careers for women in our land and you were the first to enter through it."