Between 1941 and 1945, over 150,000 women arrived in D.C. to fill the clerical and administrative gaps left by men fighting overseas. They were the backbone of the FBI, the War Department, and the Treasury.
When we think of women in World War II, the image of Rosie the Riveter usually pops up first. But there was another army of women too: the “Government Girls,” who left their hometowns and jumped into the high-stakes bustle of Washington, D.C.
My mother, Ruth Knowles, was one of them.
At just 17, while the world was at war, she took a bus from Wisconsin to our nation’s capital to work in the fingerprint department of the FBI. It was a time of immense pressure and patriotic duty, but for my mom, it was also a path to independence. In that one year, she learned a lot about people, humanity, and strong women. And in that same year of long hours, she earned enough money to pay for all four years of her college education.
Who were the “Government Girls”?
Between 1941 and 1945, more than 150,000 women arrived in D.C. to fill the clerical and administrative roles left open as men went overseas. They became the backbone of agencies like the FBI, the War Department, and the Treasury.
They were trailblazers. Many were young women leaving home for the first time, living in crowded boarding houses, navigating a city that basically ran 24/7.
They were essential. They processed the paperwork of war, managed logistics, and in my mother’s case, handled vital records inside the FBI’s fingerprint department.
They were focused. Much like the women entrepreneurs I meet today, these women were driven by purpose and the need to build their own futures.
A legacy of grit
The story of the Government Girls is a reminder that “Sheet Happens,” even on a global scale, and women have always been the ones to step up and handle it. Whether it was processing fingerprints in 1943 or running an eco-friendly business in 2026, that DNA of resilience gets passed down, mother to daughter.
Ruth’s time in D.C. didn’t just pay for her degree. It helped shape the woman who would later become my biggest supporter. She taught me you don’t wait for opportunity. You work for it.
Continuing the tradition
At Soak iT Up, we think about that spirit a lot, especially during Women’s History Month. We think about the women flying through hurricanes. We think about the daughters working toward their own degrees, and the friends who show up when the dark clouds of doubt creep in.
This month, take a moment to look back at the “Government Girls” in your own family tree. Their hard work helped pave the way for the history we’re writing today.