Sen. M. Teresa Paiva Weed is sworn in by acting chief justice of the state Supreme Court, Maureen McKenna Goldberg, as the first female Senate president in Rhode Island, with her husband, Mark Weed, by her side. “Nothing can compare to being at the top of the ladder,” Paiva Weed said.

The Providence Journal / Connie Grosch

PROVIDENCE Sen. M. Teresa Paiva Weed has seen her share of firsts on Smith Hill.

A decade ago, the Newport senator was named the first female chair of the Judiciary Committee and later won the job as the first female majority leader.

But being elected the first female Senate president is another kind of first entirely.

“Nothing,” she said, “can compare to being at the top of the ladder.”

When her Senate colleagues –– most of them male –– elevated Paiva Weed to the Senate presidency yesterday, replacing Joseph A. Montalbano, she looked out from the rostrum, her smile genuine.

Nothing could compare.

The road from Newport to the State House started back in college when Paiva Weed, now 49, worked as a legislative page.

In 1992, the 33-year-old lawyer ran for the Senate when her neighbor vacated the seat.

She soon earned a spot on the sought-after Finance Committee, one of only a handful of women who have held those slots over the years. By the late 1990s, she was named chairwoman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, further raising her name recognition in the male-dominated State House world.

But there would be tough times ahead. In 2001, she lost that chairmanship when then-Senate President William Irons ousted Majority Leader Paul Kelly.

Paiva Weed said the experience left her humbled and aware of what it is like to be a political outsider.

Three years later, on New Year’s Eve, her fortunes changed. Irons resigned, paving the way for Montalbano, his deputy, to assume the presidency. Montalbano chose Paiva Weed as his majority leader, the first woman to hold a leadership title.

“Throughout her tenure, Senator Paiva Weed has distinguished herself as sincere and passionate and generous of heart,” her friend and colleague Sen. Mary Ellen Goodwin said yesterday. “But I would forewarn any of you here that it would be wise never to mistake any of these virtues for weakness.”

Paiva Weed, a former assistant city solicitor for Newport, will retain her post at Moore, Virgadamo & Lynch, the law firm that represents Newport Grand. She says she does not personally handle the slot facility’s legal work, and has taken steps to avoid sharing in the firm’s profits for Newport Grand work.

Her first session as president will no doubt be dominated by the crippling budget deficit, but she will face personal challenges as well. Paiva Weed’s husband, Mark Weed, was recently diagnosed with cancer.

Yesterday, Weed stood beside his wife and held the Bible, beaming as she raised her right hand and took the oath that made her presidency official. It was, she said, their goal together to see that happen.

“I believe and hope that this is a moment that will inspire young women,” she said. “Every young woman should know that anything is possible.”

cneedham@projo.com