 Ferraro grew up in New York City and worked as a public school teacher before training as a lawyer . She joined the Queens County District Attorney 's Office in 1974 , heading the new Special Victims Bureau that dealt with sex crimes , child abuse , and domestic violence . In 1978 she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives , where she rose rapidly in the party hierarchy while focusing on legislation to bring equity for women in the areas of wages , pensions , and retirement plans . In 1984 , former vice president and presidential candidate Walter Mondale , seen as an underdog , selected Ferraro to be his running mate in the upcoming election . Ferraro became the only Italian American to be a major @-@ party national nominee in addition to being the first woman . The positive polling the Mondale @-@ Ferraro ticket received when she joined soon faded , as damaging questions arose about her and her businessman husband 's finances and wealth and her Congressional disclosure statements . In the general election , Mondale and Ferraro were defeated in a landslide by incumbent President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George H. W. Bush . 
