Victoria Woodhull

Date of Birth: September 23, 1838

Zodiac Sign: Libra

Date of Death: June 9, 1927

Biography

Victoria Woodhull was a pioneering American activist, suffragist, and businesswoman who made a significant impact on 19th-century American society. Born in Homer, Ohio, Woodhull rose to prominence as the leader of the women’s suffrage movement and was the first woman to run for President of the United States in 1872. She was also a spiritualist, stockbroker, and newspaper publisher. Woodhull’s early life was marked by hardship. She was born into a poor family and had limited formal education. Despite these obstacles, she and her sister Tennessee Claflin became the first women to operate a brokerage firm on Wall Street. Their financial success allowed them to fund their activist endeavors. Woodhull was an outspoken advocate for women’s rights, labor reforms, and social justice. She was also known for her radical views on free love, which argued that women should have the freedom to marry, divorce, and bear children without government interference. Her outspoken nature often brought her into conflict with more conservative elements of society, but she remained undeterred in her quest for equality.

5 Interesting Facts about Victoria Woodhull

1. Victoria Woodhull was the first woman to run for President of the United States in 1872.

2. She and her sister, Tennessee Claflin, were the first female stockbrokers on Wall Street.

3. Woodhull was a proponent of “free love,” advocating for the freedom to marry and divorce without government interference.

4. She published a newspaper, “Woodhull & Claflin’s Weekly,” which was the first to publish the Communist Manifesto in English.

5. Woodhull was arrested on obscenity charges for publishing an article exposing an affair involving a prominent preacher, Henry Ward Beecher.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Victoria Woodhull

1. “I ask the rights to pursue happiness by having a voice in that government to which I am accountable.”

2. “Rulers should be servants and not masters.”

3. “I shall not change my course because those who assume to be better than I desire it.”

4. “Let women issue a declaration of independence sexually and absolutely refuse to cohabit with men until they are acknowledged as equals in everything.”

5. “I come before you to declare that my sex are entitled to the inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

Victoria Woodhull’s highest achieved net worth is not precisely documented, but she and her sister Tennessee Claflin were successful enough to establish the first female-run brokerage firm on Wall Street, indicating substantial financial success for their time.

Children

Victoria Woodhull had two children: 1. Byron Woodhull, born during her first marriage to Canning Woodhull. 2. Zulu Maud Woodhull, also known as Zula, born during her second marriage to Colonel James Harvey Blood.