Two Women’s Signatures Engraved on the Dollar Bill… Janet Yellen Calls It a "Historic Moment"

Indigenous Treasurer Marilyn Malruba's Signature
Yellen Responds to Former Minister's Illegible Handwriting Controversy: "I Practiced My Signature"

US Treasury Secretary Yellen showing a dollar bill with her signature (left)

For the first time in history, a woman's signature has been engraved on U.S. dollar bills.

On the 8th (local time), according to AP News and others, dollar bills bearing the signature of Janet Yellen, the first female U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, were unveiled.

The dollar bills feature the signature of the newly appointed Secretary of the Treasury, and Secretary Yellen waited nearly two years after her appointment to witness this historic moment.

On this day, Secretary Yellen revealed $1 and $5 bills bearing her signature at the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Fort Worth BEP prints half of all U.S. dollar bills issued annually.

Secretary Yellen told reporters, "It is an exciting, honorable, and thrilling moment."

These bills are scheduled to be delivered to the Federal Reserve Banks within this month and are expected to be in circulation starting January next year.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is holding up a dollar bill with her signature on it on the 8th (local time).

◆Signature of the First Female Native American Treasurer Also Included

The bills unveiled on this day also bear the signature of Marilyn Malerba, the Treasury's first female Native American Treasurer.

Secretary Yellen became the first female Secretary of the Treasury with the inauguration of the Joe Biden administration in January last year, but had to wait until now for bills bearing her signature to be issued.

The front of U.S. dollar bills must display the signatures of both the Secretary of the Treasury and the Treasurer, but the Treasurer position had been vacant until recently.

It is customary not to use the signature of a newly appointed Secretary of the Treasury on dollar bills when the Treasurer position is vacant.

For this reason, bills issued during the Biden administration continued to bear the signature of Steven Mnuchin, the Secretary of the Treasury under the previous Donald Trump administration, instead of Yellen's.

Yellen said, "I hope today marks a milestone on the path toward fairness and inclusion."

Secretary Yellen met with printing bureau staff and said, "The Treasury and the economy have made progress in providing greater opportunities for women," adding, "But we know much more needs to be done." She further stated, "I hope today will be a milestone on the road to fairness and inclusion."

Treasurer Malerba called it a "historic moment," saying, "It is monumental that two women appear on the bills for the first time. You and we are all making history."

Yellen's Signature

◆Former Secretaries Faced Handwriting Criticism... Yellen: "I Practiced My Signature Carefully"

Before unveiling the bills, Secretary Yellen casually mentioned, "I put a lot of effort into practicing my signature." Previous Secretaries who had the honor of signing the dollar bills, such as Mnuchin and former Secretary Jacob Lew, faced criticism for their signatures being nearly illegible and had to improve their handwriting.

Congratulations and support poured in from various sectors.

Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and a woman, said, "I am personally very happy," adding, "Janet Yellen is an inspiration to all economists. Her signing the dollar as the first female Secretary of the Treasury means a great deal to me and my colleagues."