Leading Ladies

Five Things to Know About Victoria Woodhull

1. Born to an illiterate mother and petty criminal father, who was also one of ten children, Woodhull never really had a formal education. She started elementary school at eight years ago and went to school on and off for a few years before entirely dropping out of school.

2. She was the first woman to run for president in 1872.

3. With her sister Tennessee, Victoria was also one of the first female stockbrokers and the first to publish the Communist Manifesto in the United States.

4. She started the publication Woodhull and Claflin’s Weekly, which at its height had national circulation of 20,000.

5. She was also a traveling clairvoyant. Always on the lookout for a good moneymaking scheme, her father put her and her sister, Tennessee to work telling fortunes and contacting spirits. They sold life elixirs and offered cures for diseases like cancer and asthma!

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