BELVA ANN LOCKWOOD
Name: Belva Ann Bennett Lockwood
Born: 24 October 1830
Died: 19 May 1917
Belva Ann Bennett Lockwood (October 24, 1830 – May 19, 1917) was a United States
attorney, politician, author, and noted feminist, although she never used that
word. Lockwood overcame many social and personal obstacles related to gender
restrictions of her time, to gain a good education. After college, she became a
schoolteacher and was actively involved in working towards equal pay for women
teachers.
She was born Belva Ann Bennett in Royalton, New York, where she later married
Uriah McNall, a farmer. He died in 1853, three years after their daughter Lura
was born. She then attended Gasport Academy in Gasport, New York, and Genesee
College in Lima, New York, which eventually became part of Syracuse University.
Lockwood taught school for several years. At the end of the Civil War, restless
and always fascinated by politics, she decided to move to Washington, D.C.
In Washington, Lockwood quickly became a member of woman suffrage and temperance
organizations. In 1868, she married Ezekial Lockwood, a dentist, lay minister,
and claims agent. They had a daughter, Jessie, who died before her second
birthday. In 1872, Lockwood earned her law degree from what is now The George
Washington University Law School and became one of the very first woman lawyers
in the U.S., although after she obtained her degree she was not allowed to
practice in the U.S. Court of Claims or the United States Supreme Court. The
justices said coverture and the practices of centuries barred women.
That didn’t stop Lockwood. She lobbied Congress from 1874 to 1879 for an anti-discrimination
bill. In 1879 Congress passed a law allowing all qualified women attorneys to
practice in any federal court. Lockwood was sworn in as the first woman member
of the U.S. Supreme Court bar on March 3, 1879. Late in 1880, she became the
first woman lawyer to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
She was the second woman (after Victoria Woodhull) to run for President of the
United States but was the first woman to appear on the ballot in United States
presidential election, 1884 and United States presidential election, 1888 as the
candidate of the National Equal Rights Party. Her running mates were Marietta
Stow and Charles Stuart Wells respectively. She did not have a serious chance of
winning the presidency and received few votes, particularly because many states
still did not allow women to vote at this time. On January 12, 1885, she
petitioned Congress to have her votes counted, making the claim "that during the
recent session of the Electoral College of the State of Indiana at the capitol
thereof, that after it had cast its vote for Cleveland it changed its mind, as
it had an undisputed legal right to do, and cast its united vote for your
petitioner." She further claimed she "received one-half the electoral vote of
Oregon, and a large vote in Pennsylvania, but the votes in the latter state were
not counted, simply dumped into the waste basket as false votes."
She was a well-respected and often controversial writer, determined, practical,
and energetic. She played an important role in the advancement of rights for
women and was an active member of the National American Woman Suffrage
Association and also the Equal Rights Party. She was very active in the
Universal Peace Union, representing the group at meetings in Europe and lobbying
its positions before Congress and at the White House. She hoped that the group
would receive the Nobel Peace Prize, but it did not.
Name: Belva Ann Bennett Lockwood
Born: 24 October 1830
Died: 19 May 1917
Belva Ann Bennett Lockwood (October 24, 1830 – May 19, 1917) was a United States
attorney, politician, author, and noted feminist, although she never used that
word. Lockwood overcame many social and personal obstacles related to gender
restrictions of her time, to gain a good education. After college, she became a
schoolteacher and was actively involved in working towards equal pay for women
teachers.
She was born Belva Ann Bennett in Royalton, New York, where she later married
Uriah McNall, a farmer. He died in 1853, three years after their daughter Lura
was born. She then attended Gasport Academy in Gasport, New York, and Genesee
College in Lima, New York, which eventually became part of Syracuse University.
Lockwood taught school for several years. At the end of the Civil War, restless
and always fascinated by politics, she decided to move to Washington, D.C.
In Washington, Lockwood quickly became a member of woman suffrage and temperance
organizations. In 1868, she married Ezekial Lockwood, a dentist, lay minister,
and claims agent. They had a daughter, Jessie, who died before her second
birthday. In 1872, Lockwood earned her law degree from what is now The George
Washington University Law School and became one of the very first woman lawyers
in the U.S., although after she obtained her degree she was not allowed to
practice in the U.S. Court of Claims or the United States Supreme Court. The
justices said coverture and the practices of centuries barred women.
That didn’t stop Lockwood. She lobbied Congress from 1874 to 1879 for an anti-discrimination
bill. In 1879 Congress passed a law allowing all qualified women attorneys to
practice in any federal court. Lockwood was sworn in as the first woman member
of the U.S. Supreme Court bar on March 3, 1879. Late in 1880, she became the
first woman lawyer to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
She was the second woman (after Victoria Woodhull) to run for President of the
United States but was the first woman to appear on the ballot in United States
presidential election, 1884 and United States presidential election, 1888 as the
candidate of the National Equal Rights Party. Her running mates were Marietta
Stow and Charles Stuart Wells respectively. She did not have a serious chance of
winning the presidency and received few votes, particularly because many states
still did not allow women to vote at this time. On January 12, 1885, she
petitioned Congress to have her votes counted, making the claim "that during the
recent session of the Electoral College of the State of Indiana at the capitol
thereof, that after it had cast its vote for Cleveland it changed its mind, as
it had an undisputed legal right to do, and cast its united vote for your
petitioner." She further claimed she "received one-half the electoral vote of
Oregon, and a large vote in Pennsylvania, but the votes in the latter state were
not counted, simply dumped into the waste basket as false votes."
She was a well-respected and often controversial writer, determined, practical,
and energetic. She played an important role in the advancement of rights for
women and was an active member of the National American Woman Suffrage
Association and also the Equal Rights Party. She was very active in the
Universal Peace Union, representing the group at meetings in Europe and lobbying
its positions before Congress and at the White House. She hoped that the group
would receive the Nobel Peace Prize, but it did not.