Belva Lockwood: Woman of Many Firsts

Here’s a paper I wrote about her. I’m disappointed she doesn’t get much buzz.

There have been thirteen women to run for the office of President of the United States, all with varying degrees of success and notoriety. Victoria Woodhull, Belva Lockwood (twice), Margaret Chase Smith, Patsy Takemoto Mink, Shirley Chisholm, Ellen McCormack (twice), Sonia Johnson, Patricia Schroeder, Lenora Fulani, Elizabeth Dole, Carol Moseley-Braun, Hillary Clinton (twice), and Carly Fiorina (National Womens History Museum, 2015). Many blogs, podcasts and other new media focus on the attempt of Victoria Woodhull in 1872 (National Women’s History Museum, 2015). Rightly so, she holds the place of the first women to pursue the presidency. She strikes a “Romantic” figure; young, she preached free love and opposed marriage (National Women’s History Museum, 2015). Her energy excites the reader and reaches across time. Alas, Woodhull’s campaign faltered and fell apart due to a variety of issues (not the least of which was because she was not old enough to old office). It was not until 1884 that another woman would attempt to stage a presidential campaign.

Belva Ann Bennett was born to a small farming family in upstate New York in 1830. Throughout her youth she proved to be not only intelligent, but as capable in any number of stereotypical “male” activities like “running, rowing, jumping, and horseback rising” (Norgren, 2007). By fourteen Belva was working as an instructor at the local rural schoolhouses, and a few short years later she resigned to marriage. Belva’s view of marriage was drastically different from the common view of the time. In her own words: “it (marriage) is the end of her personality, or her individuality of thought and action.” (Norgren, 2007). Marriage would not last long for Belva; by 1853 she was widowed with a three-year old. What followed was an attack on life, and traditional social structures. Belva re-entered education, and four years later graduated with honors from Genesee (now Syracuse) University. After a decade of teaching and restlessness, Belva entered politics, and was one of the several women instrumental in bringing to light the need for universal suffrage (the right to vote). After the Civil War, at the age of 39, Belva (now Lockwood) finally gave in to her true passion that had been slow burning for years; she fought for, and finally gained, admittance into the National University Law School. By age 43 she received her law degree, despite opposition and a threatened walkout by the male students. Interestingly, Lockwood was the second female attorney to practice in D.C., the first being Charlotte Ray, who was also the first African-American female obtain a law degree. (Norgren, 2007)

In Lockwood’s own word her accomplishments are as such: “Attended college and graduated when the general sentiment of the people was against it”, “entered law school and graduated, at a time when there was much opposition[1]”, “applied for and was admitted. ultimately to the United States Supreme Court” (she was the first woman to practice law before the Court), “I was the first woman to ride a wheel[2] in the District of Columbia, which I persisted in doing notwithstanding newspaper comments”, and “accepted a nomination to the Presidency by the Equal Rights Party” (Lockwood & Stern, 1975). Lockwood’s letters and tone is clipped and efficient; she does not mince words and is not given to frivolity. It should also be noted that this was a time in which women were burdened by the idea of “coverture”, an old English custom that defined a husband and wife as one legal entity, thus preventing the woman from independently entering into contracts and agreements. Is this custom that initially prevented Lockwood from pleading cases in the U.S. Court of Claims[3]. Probably it is her admittance to the Supreme Court Bar in 1879 that was most significant in paving that way for future female lawyers- including Gloria Allred, Sandra Day O’Conner, Ruth Bader Ginsberg (who penned the introduction for Jill Norgern’s Belva Lockwood: The Woman Who Would Be President), Hillary Clinton, and many other less notorious ladies of the bar.

Her nomination acceptance letter lays out her platform which was very progressive by 19th century standards and, in some ways, by today’s standards.

From Belva Lockwood’s acceptance letter to the Equal Rights Party:

“To ensure a fair distribution of the public offices to women as well as men, with a scrupulous regard to civil service reform after the women are duly installed in office.

“…the desire to protect and foster American industries… for the purpose of rendering the laboring class in our country comfortable and independent.

“…re-enactment of the ‘Arrears Act[4]’ and the Increase of pensions to widows…

“opposed to wholesale monopoly of the judiciary of the country by male voters. …would appoint some competent woman to any vacancy that might occur to the United States Supreme Court Bench.”

“…full sympathy with Temperance advocates….

“…a uniform system of laws… for marriage, divorce, and the limitation of contracts, and such a regulation of the laws of decent and distribution of estates that will make the wife equal….

“…favor an expansion of commercial relations with foreign countries….

“…establishment of a High Court of Arbitration….”

“Indian policy… break up their tribal relations, distribute them to their lands, and make them citizens….” (Lockwood & Stern, 1975)

Yet, as pragmatic as she was with her entrance into the political sphere, she was met with some derision from her sister suffragists, who viewed that her presidential campaign would bring “odium” to the cause of universal suffrage. In the words of Abigail Scott Duniway: “How could a disfranchised candidate of a disfranchised people make anything but a sorry run for office?” (Norgren, 2008)

It was her notoriety associated with the campaign that really projected her into the national spotlight, which she funded by entering the lecture circuit. For her efforts she ultimately received 4,149 votes from the general population, one electoral vote from Indiana. (Lockwood & Stern, 1975) There were actually a small handful of territories and states that allowed women to vote prior to when the 19th amendment was ratified in the early part of the 20th century (the first of which was Wyoming). This effort gained her enough attention that a U.S. stamp was made in her likeness (Unknown, n.d.). Four years later she tried again. It is apparent that she was aware that she had a slim chance of winning the contest; for her it was about spreading the message of universal suffrage and she ran as an “acknowledged contender” with the saying, “I cannot vote, but I can be voted for!” (Norgren, 2008) Lockwood continued her fight for equality and suffrage, and working as an advocate for Native American interests and non-violent solutions to conflicts. She passed away in 1917, although the memory of her has faded from the public consciousness her influence lives on. In the end, her statement on a woman president was that when a woman is elected to the White House, “It will be entirely on her own merits, however. No movement can place her there simply because she is a woman.”

Belva Lockwood was a dyed in the wool feminist years before the word was coined. For her time, she was progressive, perhaps even radical. She fought against the male rule of the day, and her fellow suffragettes (notably her one-time friend Susan B. Anthony, which may explain why Lockwood has been pushed out of the history books) for a place, not only for herself, but other disenfranchised peoples, at the table. She exemplified the philosophy of leading by example, showing other women that they can succeed, they just have to act and keep on challenging those in power.

Works Cited

Lockwood, B., & Stern, M. (1975). Two Unpublished Letters From Belva Lockwood. Signs, 269–275.

National Womens History Museum. (2015, 11 19). First But Not the Last: Women who Ran for President. Retrieved from National Women’s History Museum: https://www.nwhm.org/online-exhibits/president/president.html#

National Women’s History Museum. (2015, 11 19). Victoria Woodhull. Retrieved from National Women’s History Museum: https://www.nwhm.org/education-resources/biography/biographies/victoria-claflin-woodhull/

Norgren, J. (2005, March 1). Blazing the Trail for Women in Law. Retrieved from National Archives: http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2005/spring/belva-lockwood-1.html

Norgren, J. (2007). Belva Lockwood: The Woman Who Would be President. New York: New York University Press.

Norgren, J. (2008). I cannot Vote, but I can be Voted for! American History 43 (2), 38–43.

Unknown. (n.d.). Mystic Stamp. Retrieved from Belva Lockwood Stamp: https://www.mysticstamp.com/Products/United-States/2178/USA/

[1] One of the reasons given to her as to why she could not be admitted was that her presence would be too distracting to young men. (Norgren, 2007)

[2] A bicycle

[3] A court for private citizens with claims against the United States government.

[4] An act which retroactively provided pension to Civil War Veterans from the date of their discharge.