Victoria Woodhull’s 1872 presidential campaign is in the news this week as commentators put Hillary Clinton’s April 12 candidacy announcement into historical context. No, Hillary Clinton is not the first woman to run for United States President. She may be the first woman to have a real chance at winning the election, but many women have announced their candidacy before her. And Victoria Woodhull is at the top of that list for being (arguably) the first.
The argument comes in because Victoria Woodhull was not technically eligible for the office of the President because of the age requirement specified in the United States Constitution. Also, her name never made it onto any official ballots. But she ran an active campaign, collected a broad coalition of interest groups supporting her, and created an impressive political party organization. In that regard, she is quite worthy of the list of women Presidential candidates.
Because of Hillary Clinton’s campaign launch, this could be a big year for Woodhull biographies, including Crossing Swords: Mary Baker Eddy vs. Victoria Claflin Woodhull and the Battle for the Soul of Marriage by Cindy Safronoff.
Here are a few of the recent news articles on female presidential candidates that mention Victoria Woodhull:
Carol Felsenthal, “The Strange Tale of the First Woman to Run for President: Before Hillary Clinton, there was Victoria Woodhull,” Politico Magazine, April 9, 2015.
Lynn Yaeger, “Mover Over, Hillary! Victoria Woodhull Was the First Woman to Run for President!” Vogue, April 13, 2015.
“Women other than Hillary Clinton who’ve run for President,” Constitution Daily, April 13, 2015.
Lauren Barbato, “Who Was the First Woman to Run for President? Hillary Clinton is in Good Company — May go Furthest of All,” Bustle, April 12, 2015.
Erin Blakemore, “5 Other Women Who Ran for President,” Time, April 12, 2015.
Crossing Swords: Mary Baker Eddy vs. Victoria Claflin Woodhull and the Battle for the Soul of Marriage (This One Thing, July 4, 2015) by Cindy Safronoff includes new research on Victoria Woodhull’s campaign and her sophisticated management of the media. This new biography is available on Amazon, or by special order from your favorite local bookstore.