In the previous election for president, the world was surprised to hear that Hillary Clinton announced that she was officially running for president. People were astonished; some were overwhelmed. The thought that circulated the most was that she was going to be the first woman to run for president. However, the notion isn’t all that true.

The first woman to run for president, before women could even vote, was actually Victoria Woodhull, in 1872. Few people had heard of her until she announced her candidacy, thus becoming one of the most influential women in the country. She advocated many things that we take for granted today; like the eight-hour workday, social welfare programs, and graduated income tax.

(Photo Cred: Biography.com)

She was born Victoria California Claflin on September 23, 1838, in Homer, Ohio. At the age of 15, she was married for the first time to Canning Woodhull, but they divorced in 1864. In 1868, Woodhull and her sister moved to New York City where they met Cornelius Vanderbilt, who helped them set up a business that came to be the first woman-run stock brokerage firm.

In 1870, her and her sister created "Woodhull and Claflin's Weekly," which came to be known as a radical publication. They expressed their ideas on social reforms, like women’s suffrage, birth control, and free love.

Woodhull was a strong supporter of women’s suffrage and spoke publicly on the issue. She even addressed Congress wanting to be more politically active so she worked to establish the Equal Rights Party. In 1872, she was nominated to represent the party on the election ballot.

The election took a turn for the worse when Woodhull’s beliefs and ideas on sexuality and social reforms were held against her. She had been married three times by then, and was suspected to have many other relationships.

In response to her attackers, Woodhull published the story of a Reverend’s affair with a married woman, hoping his family would stop the personal attacks. The family sought help with the US Marshals, and soon after Victoria Woodhull was arrested. She spent Election Day in jail, having been arrested under the Comstock Act for sending “obscene” literature through the mail.

Eventually, the charges were dropped, but Woodhull was ruined financially after all the money went to lawyers, and the government confiscated all of her more profitable means of income. In 1877, Woodhull and her sister eventually moved to England, where she spent most of her time writing. She died on June 9, 1927, in Bredon’s Norton Worcestershire, England.

Now, following in her footsteps, is Hillary Clinton, one of five democratic Candidates running for president in this coming election. She may not have been the first woman to run, but Clinton might just be the first woman to be elected as the President of the United States, paving the way for all women to stand up and challenge social norms.

Source: "Victoria Woodhull." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 19 July 2015