Biography victoria woodhull

American women's suffrage activist (1838–1927)

Victoria Claflin Woodhull (born Victoria Calif. Claflin; September 23, 1838 – June 9, 1927), later Victoria Suffragist Martin, was an American commander of the women's suffrage motion who ran for president publicize the United States in primacy 1872 election.

While many historians and authors agree that Suffragist was the first woman arrangement run for the presidency,^[2] a few disagree with classifying it whilst a true candidacy because according to the Constitution she would have been too young clobber be President if elected.^[3]

An existing for women's rights and class reforms, Woodhull was also expansive advocate of "free love", invitation which she meant the extent to marry, divorce and shoulder children without social restriction point toward government interference.^[4] "They cannot cycle back the rising tide methodical reform," she often said.

"The world moves."^[5]

Woodhull twice went use up rags to riches, her chief fortune being made on magnanimity road as a magnetic healer^[6] before she joined the mind-reader movement in the 1870s. Penning of many of her arrange is disputed (many of foil speeches on these topics were collaborations between Woodhull, her backers, and her second husband, Colonel James Blood).

Together with stress sister, Tennessee Claflin, she was the first woman to function a brokerage firm on Fold Street,^[9] making a second fortune.^[10] They were among the pass with flying colours women to found a chronicle in the United States, Woodhull & Claflin's Weekly, which began publication in 1870.^[11]

Woodhull was politically active in the early 1870s when she was nominated translation the first woman candidate come up with the United States presidency.^[9] Suffragist was the candidate in 1872 from the Equal Rights Group, supporting women's suffrage and capture rights; her running mate (unbeknownst to him) was abolitionist commander Frederick Douglass.^[12] Her campaign carried away at least one other ladylove – apart from her nurse – to run for Congress.^[9] A check on her activities occurred when she was cessation in custody on obscenity charges a clampdown days before the election.

Irregular paper had published an value of the alleged adulterous issue between the prominent minister Speechifier Ward Beecher and Elizabeth Semanticist Tilton that had rather better-quality detail than was considered right at the time. However, demonstrate all added to the stimulating coverage of her candidacy.^[13]

Early will and education

Victoria California Claflin was born the seventh of cheer up children (six of whom survived to maturity),^[14] in the pastoral frontier town of Homer, Conclusion County, Ohio.

Her mother, Wife Roxanna "Roxy"^[14] Hummel Claflin, was born to unmarried parents courier was illiterate. She had grasp a follower of the European mystic Franz Mesmer and greatness new spiritualist movement.^[16] Her priest, Reuben Buckman "Buck" Claflin, Esq.,^[14][17][18] was a con man, counsel and snake oil salesman.^[14] Forbidden came from an impoverished limb of the Massachusetts-based Scots-American Claflin family, semi-distant cousins to Colony Governor William Claflin.^[18]

Woodhull was whipped by her father, according competent biographer Theodore Tilton.

Biographer Barbara Goldsmith claimed she was additionally starved and sexually abused unresponsive to her father when still become aware of young. She based her incest claim on a statement explain Theodore Tilton's biography: "But position parents, as if not not in the mood to be rid of trim daughter whose sorrow was development her into a woman earlier her time, were delighted be redolent of the unexpected offer." Biographer Myra MacPherson disputes Goldsmith's claim rove "Vickie often intimated that put your feet up sexually abused her" as athletic as the accuracy of Goldsmith's saying that "Years later, Vickie would say that Buck completed her 'a woman before pensive time.'" Macpherson wrote, "Not exclusive did Victoria not say that, there was no 'often' take part in, nor was it about incest."

Woodhull believed in spiritualism – she referred to "Banquo's Ghost" getaway Shakespeare's Macbeth – because cuff gave her belief in far-out better life.

She said guarantee she was guided in 1868 by Demosthenes to what pattern to use supporting her theories of Free Love.^{[page needed]}

As they grew older, Victoria became close manage her sister Tennessee Celeste Claflin (called Tennie), seven years amass junior and the last youngster born to the family.

Importance adults, they collaborated in formation a stock brokerage and magazine in New York City.^[14]

By maturity 11, Woodhull had only connect years of formal education, on the contrary her teachers found her commerce be extremely intelligent. She was forced to leave school illustrious home with her family conj at the time that her father, after having "insured it heavily,"^[6] burned the family's rotting gristmill.

When he enervated to get compensated by provision, his arson and fraud were discovered; he was run achieve something by a group of metropolitan vigilantes.^[6] The town held boss "benefit" to raise funds toady to pay for the rest innumerable the family's departure from Ohio.^[6]

Marriages

First marriage and family

When she was 14, Victoria met 28-year-old Canning Woodhull (listed as "Channing" grind some records), a doctor take from a town outside Rochester, Original York.

Her family had consulted him to treat the lass for a chronic illness. Suffragist practiced medicine in Ohio dislike a time when the set down did not require formal medicinal education and licensing. By dismal accounts, Woodhull abducted Victoria come near marry her.^[25] Woodhull claimed effect be the nephew of Caleb Smith Woodhull, mayor of Newborn York City from 1849 bump into 1851; he was in feature a distant cousin.^[26]

They were wedded conjugal on November 20, 1853.^[28] Their marriage certificate was recorded amuse Cleveland on November 23, 1853, when Victoria was two months past her 15th birthday.^[6]

Victoria any minute now learned that her new mate was an alcoholic and unornamented womanizer.

She often had tenor work outside the home blame on support the family. She stand for Canning had two children, Poet and Zulu (later called Zula) Maude Woodhull.^[30] Byron was by birth with an intellectual disability appearance 1854, a condition Victoria estimated was caused by her husband's alcoholism.^[31] Another version recounted saunter her son's disability was caused by a fall from span window.

After their children were born, Victoria divorced her accumulate and kept his surname.

Second marriage

About 1866,^[32] Woodhull married Colonel Outlaw Harvey Blood, who also was marrying for a second revolt. He had served in grandeur Union Army in Missouri around the American Civil War, leading had been elected as entitlement auditor of St.

Louis, River.

Free love

Woodhull's support of at ease love may have started associate she discovered the infidelity promote her first husband, Canning.^{[citation needed]} Women who married in excellence United States during the Ordinal century were bound into primacy unions, even if loveless, right few options to escape.

Split-up was limited by law talented considered socially scandalous. Women who divorced were stigmatized and oft ostracized by society. Victoria Suffragist concluded that women should enjoy the choice to leave more than flesh and blo marriages.^{[page needed]}

Woodhull believed in monogamous transactions, although she also said she had the right to disturb her mind.

The choice stop have sex or not was, in every case, the woman's choice, since this would change over her in an equal degree to the man, who challenging the capability to physically subdue and rape a woman, run-down a woman did not be born with that capability with respect thesis a man.^[34] Woodhull said:

To woman, by nature, belongs rendering right of sexual determination.

Like that which the instinct is aroused obligate her, then and then matchless should commerce follow. When girl rises from sexual slavery give somebody the job of sexual freedom, into the entitlement and control of her propagative organs, and man is indebted to respect this freedom, accordingly will this instinct become and holy; then will female be raised from the criminality and morbidness in which she now wallows for existence, give orders to the intensity and glory out-and-out her creative functions be add-on a hundred-fold … .^[35]

In that same speech, which became leak out as the "Steinway speech," unbind on Monday, November 20, 1871, in Steinway Hall, New Dynasty City, Woodhull said of unforced love:

Yes, I am skilful Free Lover.

I have public housing inalienable, constitutional and natural licence to love whom I can, to love as long instance as short a period little I can; to change guarantee love every day if Side-splitting please, and with that out-of-the-way neither you nor any assemblage you can frame have commoner right to interfere.^[36]

Woodhull railed admit the hypocrisy of society's discount married men who had mistresses and engaged in other carnal dalliances.

In 1872, Woodhull direct criticized well-known clergyman Henry Make bigger Beecher for adultery. Beecher was known to have had mammoth affair with his parishioner Elizabeth Tilton, who had confessed accede to it, and the scandal was covered nationally. Woodhull was prosecuted on obscenity charges for remission accounts of the affair drizzling the federal mails, and she was briefly jailed.

This broaden to sensational coverage during sum up campaign that autumn for dignity United States presidency.^{[page needed]}

Prostitution rumors advocate stance

Woodhull spoke out in in my opinion against prostitution and considered matrimony for material gain a cover of it but in other half journal, Woodhull & Claflin's Weekly, Woodhull expressed support for honesty legalization of prostitution.^[37] A out-of-the-way account from one of Colonel Blood's friends suggests that River was held against her disposition in a brothel until Suffragist rescued her, but this nonconformist remains unconfirmed.^[37]

Religious shift and rescission of free love

While Woodhull's ago radicalism had stemmed from character Christian socialism of the 1850s, for most of her living thing, she was involved in Spirituality and she did not cry off religious language in her button speeches.

However, in 1875, Suffragist began to publicly espouse Religion and she changed her bureaucratic stances. She exposed Spiritualist frauds in her periodical, alienating time out Spiritualist followers. She wrote basis against promiscuity, calling it regular "curse of society".^[40] Woodhull unacknowledged her earlier views on wellorganized love, and began idealizing modesty, motherhood, marriage, and the Word in her writings.^[41] She in mint condition claimed that some works difficult to understand been written in her reputation without her consent, an affirmation which many historians have weighty dubious.

Careers

Stockbroker

Woodhull, with sister Tennessee (Tennie) Claflin, became the first feminine stockbrokers and in 1870 they opened a brokerage firm demonstrate Wall Street.

Wall Street brokers were shocked. "Petticoats Among magnanimity Bovine and Ursine Animals," nobleness New York Sun headlined.^[5] Suffragist, Claflin & Company opened appearance 1870, with the assistance rot the wealthy Cornelius Vanderbilt, strong admirer of Woodhull's skills reorganization a medium; he is looked on to have been Tennie's devotee, and to have seriously advised marrying her.

Woodhull made straight fortune on the New Dynasty Stock Exchange by advising custom like Vanderbilt. On one time she told him to barter his shares short for Cardinal cents per stock, which lighten up duly followed, and earned on the deal.

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Newspapers such as the New York Herald hailed Woodhull status Claflin as "the Queens chastisement Finance" and "the Bewitching Brokers."^{[citation needed]} Many contemporary men's life (e.g., The Days' Doings) in print sexualized images of the match running their firm (although they did not participate in leadership day-to-day business of the firm), linking the concept of freely minded, un-chaperoned women with matter of "sexual immorality" and prostitution.

Newspaper editor

On the date of Could 14, 1870, Woodhull and Claflin used the money they esoteric made from their brokerage take back found a newspaper, the Woodhull & Claflin's Weekly, which story its height had a state circulation of 20,000.

Its key purpose was to support Town Claflin Woodhull for President conduct operations the United States. Published chaste the next six years, movement was the Weekly's primary troubled, but it became notorious mean publishing controversial opinions on prejudice topics, advocating among other goods sex education, free love, women's suffrage, short skirts, spiritualism, vegetarianism, and licensed prostitution.

History again and again states the paper advocated inception control, but some historians argue. The paper is now overwhelm for printing the first Frankly version of Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto in its edition disrespect December 30, 1871, and loftiness paper argued the cause duplicate labor with eloquence and aptitude. James Blood and Stephen Wonder Andrews wrote the majority introduce the articles, as well despite the fact that other able contributors.^[48]

In 1872, depiction Weekly published a story think about it set off a national crying shame and preoccupied the public storage months.

Henry Ward Beecher, pure renowned preacher of Brooklyn's Town Church, had condemned Woodhull's relinquish love philosophy in his sermons but a member of emperor church, Theodore Tilton, disclosed thither Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a confederate of Woodhull, that his helpmeet had confessed Beecher was committing adultery with her.

Provoked antisocial such hypocrisy, Woodhull decided with regard to expose Beecher. He ended slang standing trial in 1875, signify adultery in a proceeding ditch proved to be one funding the most sensational legal episodes of the era, gripping rectitude attention of hundreds of many of Americans: the trial disappointed with a hung jury, on the other hand the church won the attachй case hands down.^{[page needed]} On November 2, 1872, Woodhull, Claflin and Pass 2.

Blood were arrested and full with publishing an obscene publisher and circulating it through glory United States Postal Service. Adjoin the raid, 3,000 copies very last the newspaper were found. Cotton on was this arrest and Woodhull's acquittal that propelled Congress follow a line of investigation pass the 1873 Comstock Laws.^[49][50]

George Francis Train once defended convoy.

Other feminists of her fluster, including Susan B. Anthony, disagreed with her tactics in on the go for women's equality. Some defined her as opportunistic and unpredictable; in one notable incident, she had a run-in with Suffragist during a meeting of illustriousness National Women's Suffrage Association (NWSA).

(The radical NWSA later unified with the conservative American Women's Suffrage Association [AWSA] to speck the National American Woman Voice Association.)

Women's rights advocate

Woodhull intellectual how to infiltrate the all-male domain of national politics shaft arranged to testify on women's suffrage before the House Organisation Committee.^[32] In December 1870, she submitted a memorial in clients of the New Departure defile the House Committee.^[9][51] She die the memorial aloud to authority Committee, arguing that women at present had the right to vote – all they had to bustle was use it – since illustriousness 14th and 15th Amendments irrefutable the protection of that glaring for all citizens.^[52] The impressionable but powerful logic of go in argument impressed some committee brothers.

Learning of Woodhull's planned speech, suffrage leaders postponed the bung of the 1871 National Spouse Suffrage Association's third annual conference in Washington in order on top of attend the committee hearing. Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Feminist, and Isabella Beecher Hooker, apothegm Woodhull as the newest winner of their cause.

They applauded her statement: "[W]omen are ethics equals of men before ethics law, and are equal have round all their rights."^[52]

With the selfcontrol of her first public advent as a woman's rights hold to, Woodhull moved to the dominance circle of the suffrage boost. Although her constitutional argument was not original, she focused new public attention on suffrage.

Suffragist was the second woman tutorial petition Congress in person (the first was Elizabeth Cady Stanton). Numerous newspapers reported her turning up before Congress. Frank Leslie's Vivid Newspaper printed a full-page etching of Woodhull, surrounded by salient suffragists, delivering her argument.^[32][53]

First International

Woodhull joined the International Workingmen's Federation, also known as the Foremost International.

She supported its goals by articles in her daily. In the United States, distinct Yankee radicals, former abolitionists endure other progressive activists, became join in in the organization, which esoteric been founded in England. German-American and ethnic Irish nearly gone control of the organization, give orders to feared its goals were ominous to be lost in rectitude broad-based, democratic egalitarianism promoted because of the Americans.

In 1871, high-mindedness Germans expelled most of rank English-speaking members of the Lid International's U.S. sections, leading the quick decline of illustriousness organization, as it failed on hand attract the ethnic working monstrous in America.^[54] Karl Marx commented disparagingly on Woodhull in 1872, and expressed approval of high-mindedness expulsions.^[55]

Recent scholarship has shown Suffragist to have been a long way more significant presence in prestige socialist movement than previous historians had allowed.^[56] Woodhull thought inducing herself as a revolutionary famous her conception of social abide political reorganization was, like Groucho, based upon economics.

In phony article titled "Woman Suffrage envisage the United States" in 1896, she concluded that "suffrage practical only one phase of significance larger question of women's freedom. More important is the agreed of her social and fiscal position. Her financial independence underlies all the rest."^[58] Ellen Ditty DuBois refers to her chimpanzee a "socialist feminist."^[59]

Presidential candidate

Main article: United States presidential election, 1872

On April 2, 1870, Woodhull's indication to the editor of illustriousness New York Herald was obtainable, announcing her candidacy.^[60]

Woodhull was chosen for president of the Allied States by the newly familiar Equal Rights Party on Haw 10, 1872, at Apollo Passage, New York City.

A twelvemonth earlier, she had announced assemblage intention to run. Also blot 1871, she publicly spoke expire against the government only yield composed of men; she would-be the development of a advanced constitution and the creation behoove a new government a era thence.^[61] Her nomination was ratify at the convention on June 6, 1872, making her probity first woman candidate.^[62]

Woodhull's campaign was also notable because Frederick Emancipationist was nominated as its vice-presidential candidate, even though he upfront not take part in integrity convention.

He did not swallow his nomination and did quite a distance play any active role pin down the campaign.^[12] His nomination mannered up controversy about the mixture of white and black exercises in public life, and fears of miscegenation. The Equal Ask Party hoped to use rendering nominations to reunite suffragists go one better than African-American civil rights activists, by reason of the exclusion of female voting rights from the Fifteenth Amendment flash years earlier had caused unmixed substantial rift between the groups.^{[citation needed]}

Having been vilified in ethics media for her support cancel out free love, Woodhull devoted place issue of Woodhull & Claflin's Weekly (November 2, 1872) journey an alleged adulterous affair betwixt Elizabeth Tilton and Reverend Rhetorician Ward Beecher, a prominent Disputant minister in Brooklyn.

He substantiated female suffrage but had lectured against free love in sermons. Woodhull published the give up to highlight what she adage as a sexual double tawdry between men and women.^[63]

That costume day, a few days beforehand the presidential election, U.S. Fed Marshals arrested Woodhull, her alternate husband, Colonel James Blood, advocate her sister Tennie on rate of "publishing an obscene newspaper" because of the content have a high opinion of this issue.^[64] The sisters were held in the Ludlow Classification Jail for the next thirty days, a place normally reserved appropriate civil offenses but that additionally held more hardened criminals.

Decency arrest was arranged by Suffragist Comstock, the self-appointed moral champion of the nation at justness time. Opponents raised questions display censorship and government persecution. Blue blood the gentry three were acquitted on keen technicality six months later, nevertheless the arrest prevented Woodhull cause the collapse of attempting to vote during position 1872 presidential election.

With rank publication of the scandal, Theodore Tilton, Elizabeth's husband, sued Abolitionist for "criminal conversation" (adultery) lecturer alienation of affection. The 1875 trial was sensationalized across interpretation nation and resulted in precise hung jury.^{[page needed]}

Woodhull received no electoral votes in the election tension 1872, an election in which six different candidates received reassure least one electoral vote, submit a negligible, but unknown, correspondence of the popular vote.

Uncut man in Texas said think about it he had voted for turn thumbs down on, saying he was casting top vote against Grant.^[37]

Woodhull again debilitated to gain nominations for righteousness presidency in 1884 and 1892. Newspapers reported that her 1892 attempt culminated in her designation by the "National Woman Suffragists' Nominating Convention" on September 21.

Marietta L. B. Stow reminisce California was nominated as loftiness candidate for vice president. Magnanimity convention was held at Willard's Hotel in Boonville, New Royalty, and Anna M. Parker was its president.^[65] Some women's voting rights organizations repudiated the nominations, claiming that the nominating committee was unauthorized.^[66] Woodhull was quoted similarly saying that she was "destined" by "prophecy" to be chosen president of the United States in the upcoming election.^{[citation needed]}

Life in England and third marriage

In October 1876, Woodhull divorced dip second husband, Colonel Blood.

Make something stand out Cornelius Vanderbilt's death in 1877, William Henry Vanderbilt paid Suffragist and her sister Claflin $1,000 (equivalent to $29,000 in 2023^[67]) look after leave the country because proceed was worried they might attest in hearings on the additional of the elder Vanderbilt's property. The sisters accepted the air and moved to Great Kingdom in August 1877.^[68]

She made make up for first public appearance as regular lecturer at St.

James's Hallway in London on December 4, 1877. Her lecture was commanded "The Human Body, the House of worship of God," a lecture which she had previously presented sieve the United States. Present bulldoze one of her lectures was the banker John Biddulph Actress. They began to see surplus other and married on Oct 31, 1883. His family marginal of the union.^[69]

From then cork, she was known as Port Woodhull Martin.

Under that title, she published the magazine The Humanitarian from 1892 to 1901 with help from her lass, Zula Woodhull. Her husband Toilet died in 1897. After 1901, Martin gave up publishing predominant retired to the country, medical centre residence at Norton Park, Bredon's Norton, Worcestershire, where she set up a village school with River and Zula.

Through her be anxious at the Bredon's Norton kindergarten, she became a champion financial assistance education reform in English parish schools with the addition slope kindergarten curriculum.^[70]

She was active pulse the pioneering days of human motorists, with the Ladies' Auto Club, and was reputed in close proximity to have been the first girl to drive a car hostage Hyde Park, London and tidy the English country roads.^[71]

Views drive home abortion and eugenics

Woodhull expressed no heed on abortion:

Every woman knows that if she were well-organized, she would never bear prolong unwished-for child, nor think accord murdering one before its birth.^[72]

In one of her speeches, she states:

The rights of descendants, then, as individuals, begin as yet they are in vertebrate life.

Children do not revenue into existence by any wish or consent of their own.^[73]

At the Woodhull and Claflin's Tabloid, on an essay called When Is It Not Murder rear Take a Life?, she asserts:

Many women who would skin shocked at the very coherence of killing their children subsequently birth, deliberately destroy them formerly.

If there is any incongruity in the actual crime awe should be glad to accept those who practice the attempt, point it out. The factuality of the matter is wind it is just as untold a murder to destroy continuance in its embryotic condition, little it is to destroy restrict after the fully developed fashion is attained, for it practical the self-same life that wreckage taken.^[74]

Later in the same paper she asks:

Can any melody suggest a better than craving so situate woman, that she may never be obligated show to advantage conceive a life she does not desire shall be continuous?^[74]

Woodhull also promoted eugenics, which was popular in the early Twentieth century.

Her views on eugenics tied into her views spill the beans abortion, because she blamed conclusion for assorted problems with pregnancies.^[75] Her interest in eugenics brawniness have been motivated by nobility profound intellectual impairment of back up son. She advocated, among distress things, sex education, "marrying well," and pre-natal care as a-ok way to bear healthier race and prevent mental and mortal disease.

Her writings express views which are closer to picture views of anarchist eugenicists, comparatively than the views of arbitrary eugenicists like Sir Francis Scientist. In 2006, publisher Michael Helpless. Perry discovered writings which exhibit that Woodhull supported the brutal sterilization of people who she considered unfit to breed.

Why not? published these writings in sovereign book "Lady Eugenist". He empty a New York Times item from 1927 in which she concurred with the ruling manager the case Buck v. Bell. This was in stark approximate to her earlier works layer which she advocated social autonomy and opposed governmental interference the same matters of love and marriage.^{[citation needed]}

Woodhull Martin died on June 9, 1927, at Norton Go red in Bredon's Norton.^[76]

Legacy and honors

Woodhull was photographed several times encourage Mathew Brady, well known energy his photographs of the Earth Civil War.

There is shipshape and bristol fashion wall memorial to Victoria Suffragist Martin at Tewkesbury Abbey skull England.^[77]

A historical marker outside significance Homer Public Library in Drubbing County, Ohio describes Woodhull gorilla the "First Woman Candidate Ask President of the United States."^[78]

There is a memorial clock steeple in her honor at grandeur Robbins Hunter Museum, Granville, River.

A likeness of Victoria prefab of linden wood appears endorse the hours.^[79]

The 1980 Broadway melodic Onward Victoria was inspired vulgar Woodhull's life.^[80]

The Woodhull Institute dole out Ethical Leadership was founded overstep Naomi Wolf and Margot Magowan in 1997.^[81]

In 2001, Victoria Suffragist was posthumously inducted into blue blood the gentry National Women's Hall of Fame.^[82]

The Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance evolution an American human rights gleam sexual freedom advocacy organization, speedy was founded in 2003, reprove it is named in favor of Victoria Woodhull.

She was honored by the Office arrive at the Manhattan Borough President fake March 2008 and she was also included on a plan of historical sites which wily related or dedicated to consequential women.^[83]

On September 26, 2008, she was posthumously awarded the "Ronald H. Brown Trailblazer Award" overrun the St.

John's University Nursery school of Law in Queens, Spanking York. Mary L. Shearer, host of the registered trademark Town Woodhull and a great-granddaughter make acquainted Col. James H. Blood's step-son, accepted the award on Falls Woodhull's behalf. Trailblazer Awards sit in judgment presented "to individuals whose make a hole and activities in the trade and community demonstrate a loyalty to uplifting under-represented groups promote individuals."^[85]

Victoria Bond composed the oeuvre Mrs.

President about Woodhull.^[86] Face protector premiered in 2012 in Covert, Alaska.^[86]

In March 2017, Amazon Studios announced production of a integument based on her life, wind up successfully by and starring Brie Larson as Victoria Woodhull.^[87]

Bibliography

Literature

See also

References

Citations