Existing comment:
Victoria Claflin Woodhull, 1838-1927
The controversial, wealthy banker Victoria Woodhull announced her candidacy for President of the United States in 1870. Subsequently, she presented a memorandum to Congress requesting the right to "vote without regard to sex," shocking many Americans. In response to Woodhull's testimony, nineteen antisuffragists -- all women -- published their opposition in the Godey's Lady's Book, a magazine promoting traditional ideals of womanhood. A number of suffragists disapproved of Woodhull, too, and her fiery rhetoric did nothing to boost her popularity.
Mathew B. Brady, c 1870 |