Public Law 90-130 (1967): Resources on Women’s Promotion to Flag Officer Ranks

Key Facts

• Date Signed: November 8, 1967 (some sources cite November 7)
• Signed By: President Lyndon B. Johnson
• Public Law Number: 90-130 (81 Stat. 374)
• Bill Number: H.R. 5894
• Key Provisions:
  • Removed promotion restrictions preventing women from reaching general and flag officer ranks
  • Eliminated the 2% ceiling on the number of women allowed on active duty
  • Lifted rank ceilings on other officer grades
  • Equalized promotion and retirement rules for all military officers
• First Women Promoted to General Officer:
  • Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays: Chief of Army Nurse Corps (promoted June 11, 1970)
  • Brigadier General Elizabeth P. Hoisington: Director of Women’s Army Corps (promoted June 11, 1970)
  • Both promoted simultaneously by President Richard Nixon; Hays received her star minutes before Hoisington, technically making her the firs

References

Primary Legal Sources

Johnson, L. B. (1967, November 8). Remarks upon signing bill providing equal opportunity in promotions for women in the armed forces. The American Presidency Project, University of California, Santa Barbara. https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-upon-signing-bill-providing-equal-opportunity-promotions-for-women-the-armed

U.S. Congress. (1967). Public law 90-130: An act to remove certain restrictions on the careers of female officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps [81 Stat. 374]. https://www.govinfo.gov/link/statute/81/374

Official Government and Military Sources

Army Heritage Center Foundation. (2020, September 11). Great strides forward: Women in the Army, 1966-present. https://www.armyheritage.org/soldier-stories-information/great-strides-forward-women-in-the-army-1966-present/

Army Women’s Foundation. (n.d.). Army women in history. https://www.awfdn.org/army-women-in-history/

U.S. Army Center of Military History. (n.d.). First female general officers. https://history.army.mil/html/topics/women/general_officers.html

U.S. Army Center of Military History. (n.d.). The Women’s Army Corps. https://history.army.mil/portals/143/Images/Publications/catalog/11-8.pdf

U.S. Department of Defense. (1967). President Lyndon B. Johnson signs Public Law 90-130 [Photograph]. https://www.defense.gov/Multimedia/Photos/igphoto/2001087830/

Biographies of First Female Generals

Army Heritage Center Foundation. (2025, March 6). From patriot to pioneer: Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays. https://www.armyheritage.org/soldier-stories/from-patriot-to-pioneer-brigadier-general-anna-mae-hays/

Foundation for Women Warriors. (2024, August 22). Elizabeth P. Hoisington, Brigadier General, U.S. Army. https://foundationforwomenwarriors.org/elizabeth-hoisington/

GenealogyBank. (n.d.). First two women generals in U.S. military history. https://blog.genealogybank.com/first-two-women-generals-in-u-s-military-history.html

U.S. Army. (2017, March 13). Brig. Gen. Anna Mae Hays—The first female brigadier general. https://www.army.mil/article/184170

U.S. Army. (2025, June 6). Brig. Gen. Anna Mae Hays. https://www.army.mil/article/184170/brig_gen_anna_mae_hays

News Articles and Historical Analysis

Gillespie, E. (2023, June 14). Army Women’s Museum celebrates Women’s Armed Services Integration Act. U.S. Army. https://www.army.mil/article/267576/army_womens_museum_celebrates_womens_armed_services_integration_act

National Organization for Women. (1967, November 8). President Johnson signed Public Law 90-130, granting women in the armed forces equal promotion opportunities. https://350fem.blogs.brynmawr.edu/1967/11/08/president-johnson-signs-public-law-90-130-giving-women-in-armed-forces-equal-promotion/

NCPA. (2024, May 14). Off-script. https://www.ncpa.org/newsroom/qam/2024/05/14/script

Academic and Legal Publications

Murnane, M. K. (2007). Legal impediments to service: Women in the military and the rule of law. Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy, 14(2), 1061-1110. https://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1134&context=djglp

Reference Works

Women in the military. (2025). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_the_military

Women in the United States Army. (2025). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_the_United_States_Army