Victoria Claflin Woodhull made history by becoming the first woman to run for the United States presidency over 150 years ago. It was remarkable, considering women at the time didn’t even have the right to vote. During the 1872 US elections, Woodhull, a stockbroker, newspaper publisher and advocate for social reform, embarked on her presidential campaign. At 31, she not only defied societal expectations, seeking the nation’s highest office but also faced constitutional restrictions. She was four years shy of the legal age to serve as president.
Her candidacy was a controversial one. Although she garnered some support from fellow suffragists, mainstream advocates such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton distanced themselves from her. They viewed Woodhull as an eccentric figure, and her bold stances on free love and spiritualism raised eyebrows. Many considered her views radical, fearing they could undermine the broader women’s suffrage movement.
On May 10, 1872, the Equal Rights Party nominated her as their presidential candidate at Apollo Hall in New York City. The party stood for several progressive causes, including equitable wages for women, reduced working hours for all and civil rights for African Americans.
Despite her candidacy in the US elections, Woodhull’s name did not appear on any official ballots, and there is no record of the votes she may have received. Nevertheless, her candidacy in 1872 paved the way for future women who aspired to run for the presidency. Her efforts inspired later candidates in the US elections, such as Belva Ann Lockwood in 1884 and 1888, and Margaret Chase Smith, who, in 1964, became the first woman nominated at a major party convention.
Other notable figures, such as Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman to seek a major party nomination in 1972, and Pat Schroeder, who briefly ran for the Democratic nomination in 1988, also followed in the footsteps of Woodhull.
Woodhull remains a remarkable 19th-century figure known for her advocacy of women’s rights and suffrage. She introduced Karl Marx’s ideas to America and became the first woman to run a Wall Street brokerage firm. Woodhull died in 1927 at the age of 88.
