Victoria C. (Victoria Claflin) Woodhull

Born in Ohio in 1838, Victoria Claflin Woodhull grew up in a poor and unstable family and had little formal schooling. She worked as a magnetic healer and spiritualist before gaining national attention with her sister Tennessee Claflin, first as stockbrokers in New York and then as publishers of Woodhull & Claflin’s Weekly.

Woodhull became one of the most talked-about reformers of the 19th century. She argued for women’s suffrage, labor reform, and what she called the freedom to choose one’s relationships, which made her both famous and deeply controversial. In 1872, she announced a presidential campaign, making her the first woman to run for president of the United States.

Later in life she moved to England, where she continued writing and public speaking. She died in 1927, remembered as an unpredictable but trailblazing figure whose career challenged the limits placed on women in public life.