Born in Kiev, Golda's family emigrated to the United States in 1906. She made aliyah in 1921 and settled in Kibbutz Merhavya. In 1924, Golda Meir became an official of the Histadrut Trade Union serving with the union's construction corporation, Solel Boneh. Between 1932 and 1934 she was an emissary of Hechalutz women's organization inthe United States and later secretary of the Histadrut's Action Committee, and of its policy section.

In 1946 Golda was appointed head of the Jewish Agency's Political Department and played active role in fundraising in the United States to help cover the costs of the Israeli War of Independence. In 1948, Ben-Gurion appointed her a member of the Provisional Government. In June 1948, she became Israel's Ambassador to the Soviet Union. Elected to the Knesset as a Mapai member in 1949, she served as Minister of Labor and National Insurance until 1956 and then as Foreign Minister utnil 1966.

Between 1966 and 1968 Golda Meir served as Secretary­General of Mapai, and then as the first Secretary­General of the newly formed Labor Party. At the age of 71 she assumed the post of Premier, and lead Israel during the Yom Kippur War (1973). She resigned in 1974 in favor of Yitzhak Rabin.