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Female Colorado Senators To Remember 1st Elected

DENVER (AP) -- Female lawmakers in Colorado are donning antique hats and giving out cupcakes to mark 100 years since the election of Colorado's first female state senator.

Helen Ring Robinson was elected in 1912 as a Democrat from Denver. Ring was elected was 19 years after women earned the right to vote in Colorado, but eight years before women nationwide earned suffrage. Four women were elected to the Colorado House in 1894.

Colorado's state Legislature currently has the highest percentage of women in any state. The Legislature is 40 percent female -- 17 female senators and 23 female House members.

Friday's celebration is being marked by female lawmakers wearing period hats and sharing cupcakes.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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