Tuesday, August 2, 2016

A Woman Ran for the US Presidency in 1872

Some great history from Janet Tavakoli, in a letter to FT:




Sir, I read with interest your report “Hillary Clinton makes history as female presidential nominee” (FT.com, July 27).

In fact, Victoria Woodhull was nominated to run for president by the Equal Rights party in the 1872 race against Horace Greeley for the Liberal Republican party and incumbent winner President Ulysses S Grant. Her running mate was vice presidential candidate Frederick Douglass, an African American. Woodhull secured the third party nomination under her own steam, 48 years before women were able to vote in the US.

Woodhull was a former stockbroker who set up Woodhull, Claflin & Company with her sister, Tennessee Celeste Claflin. Both sisters later moved to England. Tennessee married Francis Cook, 1st Viscount of Monserrate. Victoria married for the third time to British banker John Martin. The sisters are buried in England.

Janet Tavakoli
President,
Chicago, IL, US

3 comments:

  1. This was pretty cool to read - her running mate was Douglass, and 48 yrs before "the vote".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Douglass wasn't at the convention and never publically discussed his nomination

      Delete
  2. Where's the Victoria Woodhull movie??? It needs to be made!

    ReplyDelete