Victoria Woodhull

Victoria Claflin Woodhull, born on September 23, 1838, was a pioneering figure in the American women's suffrage movement. She made history by running for president of the United States in the 1872 election, a bold move that many historians recognize as the first candidacy by a woman, despite debates regarding her eligibility due to age constraints outlined in the Constitution.

Woodhull was not only a political trailblazer but also an advocate for women's rights and labor reforms. She championed the concept of 'free love,' advocating for the freedom to marry, divorce, and bear children without societal or governmental restrictions. Her famous assertion, 'They cannot roll back the rising tide of reform,' encapsulated her belief in the inevitability of progress.

Throughout her life, Woodhull experienced remarkable financial ups and downs, first achieving wealth as a magnetic healer before venturing into the spiritualist movement in the 1870s. Alongside her sister, Tennessee Claflin, she became one of the first women to operate a brokerage firm on Wall Street, amassing a second fortune. They also founded one of the earliest newspapers in the United States, Woodhull & Claflin's Weekly, which began publication in 1870.

In her political career, Woodhull was nominated as the first female candidate for the presidency from the Equal Rights Party, advocating for women's suffrage and equal rights. Her running mate, unbeknownst to him, was the renowned abolitionist Frederick Douglass. However, her campaign faced significant challenges, including her arrest on obscenity charges just days before the election, stemming from her newspaper's publication of a scandalous affair involving a prominent minister, which only heightened the sensationalism surrounding her candidacy.