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Victoria Woodhull: Topics in Chronicling America

Victoris Woodhull was a suffragist, labor reform activist, and the first female candidate for U.S. President. This guide provides access to material related to "Victoria Woodhull" in the Chronicling America digital collection of historic newspapers.

Introduction

Photograph of Victoria Woodhull. March 5, 1905. New-York Tribune (New York, NY), Image 37. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers.

Victoria Woodhull was one of the most controversial and well-publicized women of her time. The first female presidential candidate as well as a proponent of “free love,” Woodhull also operated the first female brokerage on Wall Street and exposed the sexual infidelities of America’s favorite preacher, Henry Ward Beecher. Read more about it!

The information in this guide focuses on primary source materials found in the digitized historic newspapers from the digital collection Chronicling America.

The timeline below highlights important dates related to this topic and a section of this guide provides some suggested search strategies for further research in the collection.

Timeline

December 2, 1871 Victoria Woodhull gives a speech on theory of free love in New York, and she is met with hisses and applause.
June 29, 1872 A eulogy of Victoria Woodhull at a suffrage convention is interrupted with protests and criticisms of Woodhull and her ideas.
November 23, 1872 In her publication “Woodhull and Claflin’s Weekly” Victoria Woodhull alleges that prominent minister Henry Ward Beecher has had adulterous affairs with Elizabeth Tilton.
February 4, 1876 Victoria Woodhull plans to give a public lecture on her controversial views, claiming that she has been misrepresented by the media.
May 11, 1890 Victoria Woodhull gives an interview, discussing her social theories and educational schemes.
April 23, 1892 Victoria Woodhull announces her intention of becoming a candidate for president of the United States.
February 24, 1894 Victoria Woodhull takes up a case against the trustees of the British museum for holding two books relating to the Beecher-Tilton trial which reflected on her character.
February 27, 1894 Victoria Woodhull wins her suit against the trustees of the British museum for libel.
October 4, 1908 Victoria Woodhull and her daughter set upon to reform an English village school, hoping to set an example.