Victoria Claflin Woodhull was the first woman to run for president of the United States, as the Equal Rights Party’s candidate in the 1872 election.

Quick Scoop: Who was she?

  • Name: Victoria Claflin Woodhull.
  • Election year: 1872, nearly 50 years before women gained the right to vote nationwide in 1920.
  • Party: Equal Rights Party, a minor party focused on women’s rights and social reform.
  • Constitutional wrinkle: She was only 33 at the time, so she did not meet the minimum age of 35 to serve as president, which leads some historians to question whether it counts as a “formal” candidacy, but she is still widely regarded as the first female presidential candidate.

Fast facts that make her stand out

  • She was a prominent women’s suffrage and women’s rights advocate and a major public speaker in the 19th century.
  • She co‑founded a Wall Street brokerage firm, making her one of the first women to own such a firm in the U.S.
  • She started a newspaper, Woodhull & Claflin’s Weekly, which pushed for radical ideas of the time, including women’s suffrage and broader social reforms.
  • Her campaign platform included universal gender and racial equality under the law, civil service and tax reform, and opposition to special land grants for railroads and corporations.

Mini historical context (why this was a big deal)

Running for president in 1872 meant stepping into politics at a time when most women could not vote, hold many public roles, or even enter some public spaces without a male escort.

Woodhull’s candidacy challenged both legal norms (like the age requirement) and deeply rooted social expectations about women’s place in public life.

Today’s angle and “latest news” vibe

Modern discussions of “who was the first woman to run for president” often connect Woodhull’s 1872 run to later milestones, like major‑party candidacies by figures such as Hillary Clinton, showing a long trajectory from fringe campaigns to mainstream contention.

Around the 150th anniversary of her run in 2022, museums, historians, and media outlets revisited her story, highlighting how ahead of her time her ideas on gender and equality were.

Quick FAQ style wrap‑up

  • Q: Did she get any recorded votes?
    A: Standard election references do not list official vote totals for her in any state, suggesting that if votes were cast, they were not formally counted.
  • Q: So, who was the first woman to run for president?
    A: Victoria Woodhull, Equal Rights Party candidate in 1872.

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