Women of Influence: Belva Lockwood
There is some debate about who the first woman was to run for the office of President of the United States. Victoria Woodhull was first in time in 1872, though she was not old enough to hold the office if elected. Later in that century, at a time before the passage of the 19th Amendment, another female candidate would seek the Presidency. Belva Lockwood was a woman who had known her share of battles in the war for equality for women. She had fought for the right to practice law, and while she would not live long enough to see women receive the vote, she played an important role in that struggle. Throughout her life she would be an attorney, a politician, an educator, and an author. She was also active in the movement for world peace, and was a proponent of the Temperance movement. She was one of the first female lawyers in the United States.
She was born Belva Ann Bennett in Royalton, New York, on October 24, 1830. Her parents were Lewis Johnson Bennett, a farmer, and his wife Hannah Green. She was a bright student and at the young age of 14, she was teaching at the local elementary school. In 1848, at age 18, she married Uriah McNall, a local farmer. McNall died from tuberculosis in 1853, three years after their daughter Lura was born. In 1868, Belva remarried, to the much older Reverend Ezekiel Lockwood, an American Civil War veteran, a Baptist minister and practicing dentist. They had a daughter Jessie (who died before her second birthday).
Reverend Lockwood had very progressive ideas about women's role in society. He proved to be a good husband, helping to raise Belva's daughter Lura from her first marriage, and supporting his wife's desire to become a lawyer. He was generally supportive of all of her goals. Ezekiel Lockwood died in late April 1877.
Lockwood attended Genesee Wesleyan Seminary to prepare for study at college. Her plan did not meet with general approval at the time because most women did not seek higher education, and it was especially unusual for a widow to do so. She must have been a persuasive advocate because she convinced the administration at Genesee College in Lima, New York to admit her. Lockwood graduated with honors in 1857 and soon became the headmistress of Lockport Union School. It was a responsible position, but Lockwood found that whether she was teaching or working as an administrator, she was paid half of what her male counterparts were making. It was during her studies at Genesee College that her ambition to become a lawyer developed, although the school had no law department. Since a local law professor was offering private classes, she became one of his students. This enhanced her desire for a career in law.
Lockwood continued to teach and also work as the principal at several local schools for young women. She stayed at Lockport until 1861, then became principal of the Gainesville Female Seminary. In 1863, she bought The Owego Female Seminary, where she was Principal before leaving to pursue her political career. She later earned a Master of Arts from Syracuse University in 1871.
Lockwood met women's rights activist Susan B. Anthony. She agreed with many of Anthony's ideas about society's restrictions on women and was concerned about the limited education girls received. Courses at most girls' schools chiefly prepared female students for domestic life and in some cases for temporary work as teachers. Anthony and Lockwood both believed that young women deserved to have more options, including preparation for careers in the business world. Lockwood made changes at her schools. She expanded the curriculum and added courses typical of those which young men took, such as public speaking, botany, and gymnastics.
According to Lockwood's account given to the Chicago Tribune, in 1870 she applied to the Columbian Law School in the District of Columbia, but the trustees refused to admit her, fearing she would distract the male students. She and several other women were finally admitted to the new National University School of Law (now the George Washington University Law School). She completed her coursework in May 1873, but the law school refused to grant her a diploma because of her gender. This was a major problem for her because without a diploma, Lockwood could not gain admittance to the District of Columbia Bar.
She decided to go straight to the top and wrote a letter to the President of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant, requesting that as president ex officio of the National University Law School, he help her to obtain her degree. She asked him for justice, stating she had passed all her courses and deserved to be awarded a diploma. In a testimony to Grant's fairness, the plan worked. In September 1873, within a week of having sent the letter, Lockwood received her Bachelor of Laws. She was 43 years old.
In February 1866, Belva and her daughter Lura moved to Washington, D.C. She opened a coeducational private school while exploring the study of law. At the time coed schools were unusual and most schools were separated by gender.
After receiving her diploma, the District of Columbia Bar admitted her as a member, though several judges told Lockwood they had doubted her ability. She tried to gain admission to the Maryland Bar, and was told by a judge that God Himself had determined that women were not equal to men and never could be. She tried to respond on her own behalf, but was told by the judge that she had no right to speak. He had her removed from the courtroom. She also applied to the Court of Claims to represent veterans and their families, but was denied the right as well. She applied to the United States Supreme Court bar after having practiced for the minimum three years and secured Albert G. Riddle as sponsor, but her motion was also denied on gender grounds.
Under English Common Law, Las a married woman, Lockwood's legal status differed from that of an unmarried woman. The law at the time held that, as a wife, she was considered subordinate to her husband. In the 1870s, many states refused to allow a married woman to individually own or inherit property. She did she have the right to make contracts or keep money earned unless her husband gave his consent. Lockwood ignored the norms and began to build a law practice. Even her critics were forced to admit that she was competent. She became an advocate for women's issues. In 1872 she spoke on behalf of an bill for equal pay for federal government employees regardless of gender. She was also active in several women's suffrage organizations, and she testified before Congress in support of legislation to give married women and widows more legal protection.
Lockwood drafted an anti-discrimination bill to have the same access to the bar as male colleagues and from 1874 to 1879, she lobbied Congress to pass it. The law was finally passed in 1879, and President Rutherford B. Hayes signed into law. The law allowed all qualified female attorneys to practice in any federal court. On March 3, 1879, on the motion of Washington attorney Albert G. Riddle, Belva Lockwood became the first woman admitted to the Supreme Court bar. A year later, she argued Kaiser v. Stickney before the high court, the first woman lawyer to do so. She also sponsored Samuel R. Lowery to the Supreme Court bar, making him the fifth African-American attorney to be admitted. He would become the first to argue a case before the court.
Belva Lockwood ran for President of the United States twice. She ran as the candidate of the National Equal Rights Party in the presidential elections of 1884 and 1888. Her running mate was Marietta Stow in 1884. In 1888 her running mate was supposed to be Alfred H. Love, the president of the Universal Peace Union and a lifelong world peace activist. He was unhappy with being relegated to the second spot on the ticket and dropped out of the race. Lockwood chose Charles Stuart Weld, son of abolitionists Theodore Dwight Weld and Angelina Grimké, to replace Love on the ticket. She realized that as the candidate for a third party without a broad base of support, she did not have a serious chance of winning the presidency, but used that platform to advocate for the causes she believed in. She wrote in a letter to a friend: "I intend if possible to get up an Electoral ticket for each State; and thus get up a grand agitation on the woman question, but am not so anxious about the number of votes polled." She received approximately 4,194 votes nationally on 1884 and fewer votes in 1888. It was a time before women could vote, and most newspapers were opposed to her candidacy. For example an 1884 article, the Atlanta Constitution referred to her as "old lady Lockwood" and warned male readers of the dangers of "petticoat rule".
On January 12, 1885, Lockwood petitioned the United States Congress to have her votes counted. She told newspapers and magazines that she had evidence of voter fraud. She asserted that supporters had seen their ballots ripped up and she claimed that she had received one-half the electoral vote of Oregon, and a large vote in Pennsylvania, but the votes in the latter state were not counted at all. Her petition went nowhere.
Lockwood wrote essays about women's suffrage and the need for legal equality for women. She remained active in the National American Woman Suffrage Association and the Equal Rights Party, and also in the National Women's Press Association, an organization for women journalists which advocated for equal rights for women. She also was active in organizations promoting world peace. She co-edited a journal called The Peacemaker, and she belonged to the Universal Peace Union; and represented this organization at an exposition held in Paris in 1889. She was also a delegate to an International Peace Congress in London in 1890.
Belva Lockwood had a 43-year career as a lawyer. She died on May 19, 1917, and was buried in Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
She was born Belva Ann Bennett in Royalton, New York, on October 24, 1830. Her parents were Lewis Johnson Bennett, a farmer, and his wife Hannah Green. She was a bright student and at the young age of 14, she was teaching at the local elementary school. In 1848, at age 18, she married Uriah McNall, a local farmer. McNall died from tuberculosis in 1853, three years after their daughter Lura was born. In 1868, Belva remarried, to the much older Reverend Ezekiel Lockwood, an American Civil War veteran, a Baptist minister and practicing dentist. They had a daughter Jessie (who died before her second birthday).
Reverend Lockwood had very progressive ideas about women's role in society. He proved to be a good husband, helping to raise Belva's daughter Lura from her first marriage, and supporting his wife's desire to become a lawyer. He was generally supportive of all of her goals. Ezekiel Lockwood died in late April 1877.
Lockwood attended Genesee Wesleyan Seminary to prepare for study at college. Her plan did not meet with general approval at the time because most women did not seek higher education, and it was especially unusual for a widow to do so. She must have been a persuasive advocate because she convinced the administration at Genesee College in Lima, New York to admit her. Lockwood graduated with honors in 1857 and soon became the headmistress of Lockport Union School. It was a responsible position, but Lockwood found that whether she was teaching or working as an administrator, she was paid half of what her male counterparts were making. It was during her studies at Genesee College that her ambition to become a lawyer developed, although the school had no law department. Since a local law professor was offering private classes, she became one of his students. This enhanced her desire for a career in law.
Lockwood continued to teach and also work as the principal at several local schools for young women. She stayed at Lockport until 1861, then became principal of the Gainesville Female Seminary. In 1863, she bought The Owego Female Seminary, where she was Principal before leaving to pursue her political career. She later earned a Master of Arts from Syracuse University in 1871.
Lockwood met women's rights activist Susan B. Anthony. She agreed with many of Anthony's ideas about society's restrictions on women and was concerned about the limited education girls received. Courses at most girls' schools chiefly prepared female students for domestic life and in some cases for temporary work as teachers. Anthony and Lockwood both believed that young women deserved to have more options, including preparation for careers in the business world. Lockwood made changes at her schools. She expanded the curriculum and added courses typical of those which young men took, such as public speaking, botany, and gymnastics.
According to Lockwood's account given to the Chicago Tribune, in 1870 she applied to the Columbian Law School in the District of Columbia, but the trustees refused to admit her, fearing she would distract the male students. She and several other women were finally admitted to the new National University School of Law (now the George Washington University Law School). She completed her coursework in May 1873, but the law school refused to grant her a diploma because of her gender. This was a major problem for her because without a diploma, Lockwood could not gain admittance to the District of Columbia Bar.
She decided to go straight to the top and wrote a letter to the President of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant, requesting that as president ex officio of the National University Law School, he help her to obtain her degree. She asked him for justice, stating she had passed all her courses and deserved to be awarded a diploma. In a testimony to Grant's fairness, the plan worked. In September 1873, within a week of having sent the letter, Lockwood received her Bachelor of Laws. She was 43 years old.
In February 1866, Belva and her daughter Lura moved to Washington, D.C. She opened a coeducational private school while exploring the study of law. At the time coed schools were unusual and most schools were separated by gender.
After receiving her diploma, the District of Columbia Bar admitted her as a member, though several judges told Lockwood they had doubted her ability. She tried to gain admission to the Maryland Bar, and was told by a judge that God Himself had determined that women were not equal to men and never could be. She tried to respond on her own behalf, but was told by the judge that she had no right to speak. He had her removed from the courtroom. She also applied to the Court of Claims to represent veterans and their families, but was denied the right as well. She applied to the United States Supreme Court bar after having practiced for the minimum three years and secured Albert G. Riddle as sponsor, but her motion was also denied on gender grounds.
Under English Common Law, Las a married woman, Lockwood's legal status differed from that of an unmarried woman. The law at the time held that, as a wife, she was considered subordinate to her husband. In the 1870s, many states refused to allow a married woman to individually own or inherit property. She did she have the right to make contracts or keep money earned unless her husband gave his consent. Lockwood ignored the norms and began to build a law practice. Even her critics were forced to admit that she was competent. She became an advocate for women's issues. In 1872 she spoke on behalf of an bill for equal pay for federal government employees regardless of gender. She was also active in several women's suffrage organizations, and she testified before Congress in support of legislation to give married women and widows more legal protection.
Lockwood drafted an anti-discrimination bill to have the same access to the bar as male colleagues and from 1874 to 1879, she lobbied Congress to pass it. The law was finally passed in 1879, and President Rutherford B. Hayes signed into law. The law allowed all qualified female attorneys to practice in any federal court. On March 3, 1879, on the motion of Washington attorney Albert G. Riddle, Belva Lockwood became the first woman admitted to the Supreme Court bar. A year later, she argued Kaiser v. Stickney before the high court, the first woman lawyer to do so. She also sponsored Samuel R. Lowery to the Supreme Court bar, making him the fifth African-American attorney to be admitted. He would become the first to argue a case before the court.
Belva Lockwood ran for President of the United States twice. She ran as the candidate of the National Equal Rights Party in the presidential elections of 1884 and 1888. Her running mate was Marietta Stow in 1884. In 1888 her running mate was supposed to be Alfred H. Love, the president of the Universal Peace Union and a lifelong world peace activist. He was unhappy with being relegated to the second spot on the ticket and dropped out of the race. Lockwood chose Charles Stuart Weld, son of abolitionists Theodore Dwight Weld and Angelina Grimké, to replace Love on the ticket. She realized that as the candidate for a third party without a broad base of support, she did not have a serious chance of winning the presidency, but used that platform to advocate for the causes she believed in. She wrote in a letter to a friend: "I intend if possible to get up an Electoral ticket for each State; and thus get up a grand agitation on the woman question, but am not so anxious about the number of votes polled." She received approximately 4,194 votes nationally on 1884 and fewer votes in 1888. It was a time before women could vote, and most newspapers were opposed to her candidacy. For example an 1884 article, the Atlanta Constitution referred to her as "old lady Lockwood" and warned male readers of the dangers of "petticoat rule".
On January 12, 1885, Lockwood petitioned the United States Congress to have her votes counted. She told newspapers and magazines that she had evidence of voter fraud. She asserted that supporters had seen their ballots ripped up and she claimed that she had received one-half the electoral vote of Oregon, and a large vote in Pennsylvania, but the votes in the latter state were not counted at all. Her petition went nowhere.
Lockwood wrote essays about women's suffrage and the need for legal equality for women. She remained active in the National American Woman Suffrage Association and the Equal Rights Party, and also in the National Women's Press Association, an organization for women journalists which advocated for equal rights for women. She also was active in organizations promoting world peace. She co-edited a journal called The Peacemaker, and she belonged to the Universal Peace Union; and represented this organization at an exposition held in Paris in 1889. She was also a delegate to an International Peace Congress in London in 1890.
Belva Lockwood had a 43-year career as a lawyer. She died on May 19, 1917, and was buried in Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C.