AKIPRESS.COM - The United States is set to put the picture of a woman on an American banknote for the first time in over a century, breaking the hold that white male political heroes have had on the greenback.

The Treasury announced that the yet to be chosen woman will feature on the $US10 note from 2020, replacing Alexander Hamilton, the first secretary of the treasury.

Only twice before have women featured on US paper currency.

Current US banknotes all feature familiar male figures from the country's history: Mr Washington on the $1, president Abraham Lincoln on the $5, Hamilton on the $10, president Andrew Jackson on the $20, president and Civil War commander Ulysses S Grant on the $50, and inventor and statesman Benjamin Franklin on the $100.

The Treasury said it would review comments over the new design submitted on its website and on social media using the tag "TheNew10". The winner will be chosen later this year.