History

To honor Women's History Month, we pay tribute to some of the women who have moved us closer to a more just, more equal, and more prosperous future.

New York Life Insurance Company has a long tradition of supporting women’s equality. In fact, we recognized women as equals even before the US government did: in 1894 we became the first US insurance provider to offer life insurance to women at the same cost as men. This was at a time when married women still did not have the right to keep their own wages, or own property in their name.

We’ve supported women like Winnifred Supple, who became New York Life’s first female employee at New York Life’s Home Office in 1885. She stayed at the company until her retirement in 1921—an impressive 36-year career.

We’ve supported women like Mary “Minnie” Tumbleson, whose father died when she was just four years-old, whose mother raised five children alone, who in 1891 became our first female agent. Two years later, she became the first woman to appear on our “Roll of Honor.”