Belva Ann Bennett Lockwood (October 24, 1830 – May 19, 1917) was an American lawyer, politician, educator, and author who was active in the
women's rights
Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...
and
women's suffrage
Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...
movements. She was one of the first women lawyers in the United States, and in 1879 she became the first woman to be
admitted to practice law before the
U.S. Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
. Lockwood ran for president in
1884
Events
January–March
* January 4 – The Fabian Society is founded in London.
* January 5 – Gilbert and Sullivan's ''Princess Ida'' premières at the Savoy Theatre, London.
* January 18 – Dr. William Price atte ...
and
1888
In Germany, 1888 is known as the Year of the Three Emperors. Currently, it is the year that, when written in Roman numerals, has the most digits (13). The next year that also has 13 digits is the year 2388. The record will be surpassed as late ...
on the ticket of the
National Equal Rights Party
The National Equal Rights Party was a United States minor party during the late 19th century that supported women's rights. The presidential candidates from this party were Victoria Woodhull in 1872 and Belva Ann Lockwood in 1884 and 1888
In G ...
and was the first woman to appear on official ballots.
[ While Victoria Woodhull is commonly cited as the first woman to run for president, she was not old enough to run, unlike Lockwood.
Lockwood overcame many social and personal obstacles related to gender restrictions. Earlier in her life, Lockwood was a teacher and school principal, working to equalize pay for women in education.] She supported the movement for world peace, and was a proponent of the Temperance movement
The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...
.
Early and personal life
She was born Belva Ann Bennett in Royalton, New York, daughter of Lewis Johnson Bennett, a farmer, and his wife Hannah Green. Her aunt's house where she spent some of her childhood still stands at 5070 Griswold Street. In front of this house is a memorial to her with a plaque that gives a brief biography of her life. By 14, she was teaching at the local elementary school. In 1848, when she was 18, she married Uriah McNall, a local farmer.[Kitty Parsons. "Who Was the First Woman to Run for the Presidency?", ''Christian Science Monitor'', March 11, 1964, p. 19]
McNall died of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
in 1853, three years after their daughter Lura was born. In 1868, Belva remarried, this time to a man much older than she. Reverend Ezekiel Lockwood, an American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
veteran, was a Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
minister and practicing dentist. They had a daughter Jessie (who died before her second birthday). Not only did Rev. Lockwood have progressive ideas about women's roles in society, he helped raise Belva's daughter Lura, from her first marriage, and supported his wife's desire for legal study as well as encouraged her to pursue subjects that interested her. Ezekiel Lockwood died in late April 1877. In July 1879 Lockwood's daughter Lura McNall married DeForest Orme, a pharmacist.
Education
Lockwood quickly realized she needed a better education to support herself and her daughter. She attended Genesee Wesleyan Seminary The Genesee Wesleyan Seminary was the name of two institutions located on the same site in Lima, New York.
The Genesee Wesleyan Seminary (I) was founded in 1831 by the Genesee Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The plan for its ...
to prepare for study at college. Her plan, as she explained to ''Lippincott's Monthly Magazine'', was not well received by many of her friends and colleagues; most women did not seek higher education, and it was especially unusual for a widow to do so.[Belva A. Lockwood. "My Efforts to Become a Lawyer", ''Lippincott's Monthly Magazine'', February 1888, pp. 215–30] Nonetheless, she was determined and persuaded the administration at Genesee College in Lima, New York to admit her. She later earned a Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
from Syracuse University
Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...
in 1871.
According to Lockwood's later account to the ''Chicago Tribune,'' about 1870 she applied to the Columbian Law School in the District of Columbia. 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 National University School of Law was an American law school founded in Washington, D.C. in 1869. Originally intended as part of a larger design for a national university in the United States, the school was the principal component of National Unive ...
(now the George Washington University Law School
The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest top law school in the national capital. GW Law offers the largest range of cou ...
). Although she completed her coursework in May 1873, the law school refused to grant her a diploma because of her gender.
Without a diploma, Lockwood could not gain admittance to the District of Columbia Bar. After a year, she wrote a letter to the President of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
, appealing to him as president ''ex officio
An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...
'' of the National University Law School. She asked him for justice, stating she had passed all her courses and deserved to be awarded a diploma.[Belva Lockwood, ''National Women's Hall of Fame – Women of the Hall''](_blank)
National Women's Hall of Fame, accessed June 19, 2008 In September 1873, within a week of having sent the letter, Lockwood received her Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
. She was 43 years old.
Early career
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. (Later Lockwood worked for pay equity for women during her legal career.) It was during her studies at Genesee College
Genesee College was founded as the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, in 1831, by the Methodist Episcopal Church. The college was located in Lima, New York, and eventually relocated to Syracuse, becoming Syracuse University.
Genesee Wesleyan Seminary
...
that she first became attracted to the law, although the school had no law department. Since a local law professor was offering private classes, she became one of his students. It made her want to learn more.
For the next few years, 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, Belva bought The Owego Female Seminary, where she was Principal before leaving to pursue her political career. This building was dismantled and moved, before being renovated in 2019 as the Belva Lockwood Inn in Owego, NY. Her educational philosophy was gradually changing after she met women's rights activist Susan B. Anthony.
Lockwood agreed with many of Anthony's ideas about society's restrictions on women. Anthony was concerned about the limited education girls received. Courses at most girls' schools chiefly prepared female students for domestic life and possibly for temporary work as teachers. Anthony spoke about how young women ought to be given more options, including preparation for careers in the business world, where the pay was better. Lockwood was encouraged to make changes at her schools. She expanded the curriculum and added courses typical of those which young men took, such as public speaking
Public speaking, also called oratory or oration, has traditionally meant the act of speaking face to face to a live audience. Today it includes any form of speaking (formally and informally) to an audience, including pre-recorded speech deliver ...
, botany
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...
, and gymnastics. Lockwood gradually determined to study law rather than continue teaching, and to leave upstate New York.
Political career
In February 1866, Belva and her daughter Lura moved to Washington, D.C., as Belva believed it was the center of power in the United States and would provide good opportunities to advance in the legal profession. She opened a coeducational private school while exploring the study of law. In the mid-1860s, coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...
was unusual; most schools were separated by gender.
The District of Columbia Bar thus admitted her, although several judges told Lockwood they had no confidence in her, a reaction she repeatedly had to overcome. When she tried to gain admission to the Maryland Bar, a judge lectured her and told her that God Himself had determined that women were not equal to men and never could be. When she tried to respond on her own behalf, he said she had no right to speak and had her removed from the courtroom. She also applied to the Court of Claims to represent veterans and their families, but was denied. 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.
Lockwood thus struggled against both social practice and the limited legal standing accorded women. Under English Common Law
In law, common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law created by judges and similar quasi-judicial tribunals by virtue of being stated in written opinions."The common law is not a brooding omnipresen ...
, Lockwood was considered a "feme covert" (English version of medieval Anglo-Norman legal term), that is, a married woman. Her status under the law differed from that of an unmarried woman, as a wife was considered strictly subordinate to her husband. Even in 1873, many states refused to allow a married woman to individually own or inherit property, nor did she have the right to make contracts or keep money earned unless her husband gave his permission.
Nonetheless, Lockwood began to build a practice and won some cases. Even her detractors acknowledged her competence. She became known as an advocate for women's issues; she spoke on behalf of an 1872 bill for equal pay for federal government employees. Lockwood also remained active in several women's suffrage organizations, and testified before Congress in support of legislation to give married women and widows more legal protection.
Because her practice was limited in the 1870s due to social discrimination, Lockwood drafted an anti-discrimination bill to have the same access to the bar as male colleagues. From 1874 to 1879, she lobbied Congress to pass it. In 1879, Congress finally passed the law, which President Rutherford B. Hayes signed into law. It allowed all qualified women attorneys to practice in any federal court. Lockwood was then sworn in as the first woman member of the U.S. Supreme Court bar on March 3, 1879.
Late in 1880, Lockwood became the first white female lawyer to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing ''Kaiser v. Stickney'' and later ''United States v. Cherokee Nation''. Lockwood later sponsored Samuel R. Lowery to the Supreme Court bar, making him the fifth black attorney to be admitted, and ultimately the first to argue a case before the court.
Presidential run
Belva Lockwood was the first woman (or second, depending on one's opinion, after Victoria Woodhull) to run for President of the United States. Lockwood ran as the candidate of the National Equal Rights Party
The National Equal Rights Party was a United States minor party during the late 19th century that supported women's rights. The presidential candidates from this party were Victoria Woodhull in 1872 and Belva Ann Lockwood in 1884 and 1888
In G ...
. She ran in the presidential elections of 1884 and 1888
In Germany, 1888 is known as the Year of the Three Emperors. Currently, it is the year that, when written in Roman numerals, has the most digits (13). The next year that also has 13 digits is the year 2388. The record will be surpassed as late ...
. Her running mate was Marietta Stow
Marietta L. B. Stow (1830 or 1837Sherilyn Cox Bennion: ''Equal To The Occasion: Women Editors On The Nineteenth-Century West.'' University of Nevada Press, 1990, , p. 98 ().–1902) was an American politician and women's rights activist. Throughout ...
in 1884. In 1888 she originally ran with Alfred H. Love
Alfred Henry Love (September 7, 1830 – June 29, 1913) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was an American political activist.
Biography
Love was born on September 7, 1830, to William H. Love and Rachel Evans. He married Susan Henry Brown in Burling ...
, except when he was nominated he wasn't informed of it. When he found out, as the president of the Universal Peace Union The Universal Peace Union was a pacifist organization founded by former members of the American Peace Society in Providence, Rhode Island with the adoption of its constitution on 16 May 1866; it was chartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 9 Apri ...
and a lifelong world peace activist, he was horrified to run as vice president to the commander in chief, and dropped out of the race. Lockwood was in a scramble with no vice president, so, in the end, she chose Charles Stuart Weld, son of progressives Theodore Dwight Weld
Theodore Dwight Weld (November 23, 1803 – February 3, 1895) was one of the architects of the American abolitionist movement during its formative years from 1830 to 1844, playing a role as writer, editor, speaker, and organizer. He is best known ...
and Angelina Grimké.
Representing a third party without a broad base of support, Lockwood did not have a serious chance of winning the presidency. A letter she sent to Linda Slaughter
Linda Slaughter (February 1, 1843 – July 3, 1911) or Linda Warfel Slaughter was an American historian, journalist, educator, and women's rights activist. She was known for her works on interracial and intercultural encounters in the nineteenth- ...
provided some insights into her campaign. She wrote: "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." ''Notable American Women'' stated she received about 4,100 votes. Since women could not vote, and most newspapers were opposed to her candidacy, it was unusual that she received any votes. In 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
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
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 that she had "received one-half the electoral vote of Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
, and a large vote in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, but the votes in the latter state were not counted, simply dumped into the waste basket as false votes."
Later years
Lockwood was a well-respected writer, who frequently wrote essays about women's suffrage
Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...
and the need for legal equality for women. Among the publications in which she appeared in the 1880s and 1890s were ''Cosmopolitan'' (then a journal of current issues), the ''American Magazine of Civics'', ''Harper's Weekly'', and ''Lippincott's''. In addition to being active in the National American Woman Suffrage Association
The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) was an organization formed on February 18, 1890, to advocate in favor of women's suffrage in the United States. It was created by the merger of two existing organizations, the National ...
and the Equal Rights Party, Lockwood participated in the National Women's Press Association. The organization for women journalists also advocated for equal rights for women.
Lockwood believed strongly in working for world peace. She co-edited a journal called ''The Peacemaker'', and she belonged to the Universal Peace Union; she was one of its representatives at an exposition held in Paris in 1889. She was also a delegate to an International Peace Congress
International Peace Congress, or International Congress of the Friends of Peace, was the name of a series of international meetings of representatives from peace societies from throughout the world held in various places in Europe from 1843 to 185 ...
in London in 1890. She continued to speak on behalf of peace and disarmament to the year of her death. She was likely disappointed as the United States prepared to enter the war in Europe.
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.
Legacy
Syracuse University awarded Lockwood an honorary Doctor of Laws
A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL. ...
in 1908.
The communities of Belva, West Virginia
Belva is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in west Nicholas County and north Fayette County, West Virginia, United States; while the CDP only includes the Nicholas County portion, the Fayette County portion is considered par ...
; Lockwood, Monterey County, California; Lockwood, West Virginia
Lockwood is an unincorporated community in western Nicholas County, West Virginia, United States. The town is situated along Otter Creek and West Virginia Route 39.
History
The community is named in honor of Belva Ann Lockwood, a presidential can ...
; and the hamlet of Lockwood, New York, were named in her honor. As Lockwood gained renown, mothers named their daughters after her.
At least three figureheads were carved in her likeness: for the ships ''Martha'', ''Julia Lawrence'', and an unnamed ship that has a full-length masthead. One of the figureheads is displayed in the museum at Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Connecticut. "With raised chin she gazes straight ahead as if her attention were fixed on the distant horizon."
During World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, a merchant marine ship, the Liberty Ship USS ''Belva Lockwood'', was named after her.
The National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to:
*National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra
*National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred
*National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C.
*National Portrait Gallery, London, with s ...
in Washington, D.C., has a portrait of Lockwood by Nellie Mathes Horne
Nellie Mathes Horne (May 26, 1870 – May 26, 1950) was an American painter.
Born in Eliot, Maine, Horne was the daughter of John Harrison and Lizzie N. (Young) Mathes. She was educated in the local public schools and those of Portsmouth, New Ham ...
. It was painted in 1908, when she received an honorary doctorate in law from Syracuse University.
In 1983 Lockwood was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame
The National Women's Hall of Fame (NWHF) is an American institution incorporated in 1969 by a group of men and women in Seneca Falls, New York, although it did not induct its first enshrinees until 1973. As of 2021, it had 303 inductees.
Induc ...
in Seneca Falls, New York
Seneca Falls is a town in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 8,942 at the 2020 census.
The Town of Seneca Falls contains the former village also called Seneca Falls. The town is east of Geneva, New York, in the north ...
. The statement about her noted:
"Using her knowledge of the law, she worked to secure woman suffrage, property law reforms, equal pay for equal work, and world peace. Thriving on publicity and partisanship and encouraging other women to pursue legal careers, Lockwood helped to open the legal profession to women."
In 1986, she was honored by the United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...
with a 17¢ Great Americans series postage stamp.
In 2016, she was honored by the Green Bag with a bobblehead
A bobblehead, also known by common silly nicknames such as nodder, wobbler, or wacky wobbler, is a type of small collectible action figure. Its head is often oversized compared to its body. Instead of a solid connection, its head is connected to ...
doll.
See also
*List of first women lawyers and judges in the United States
This list of the first women lawyers and judges in each state of the United States includes the years in which the women were admitted to practice law. Also included are women of other distinctions, such as the first in their states to get law de ...
References
Further reading
*Cook, Frances A
"Belva Ann Lockwood: for Peace, Justice, and President"
(1997) ''Women's Legal History Biography Project'', Robert Crown Law Library, Stanford Law School.
*Kerr, Laura. ''The Girl Who Ran for President''. Thomas Nelson, 1947.
*Norgren, Jill
''Prologue Magazine''. Spring 2005, Vol. 37, No. 1.
*Norgren, Jill
''Prologue Magazine''. Spring 2005, Vol. 37, No. 1.
*Norgren, Jill. ''Belva Lockwood: The Woman Who Would Be President''. New York: New York University Press, 2007.
External links
*
at the New York State Library
The New York State Library is a research library in Albany, New York, United States. It was established in 1818 to serve the state government of New York and is part of the New York State Education Department. The library is one of the largest ...
*Th
Belva Ann Lockwood Papers
held at th
Swarthmore College Peace Collection
*Lockwood, Belva
"My Efforts to Become a Lawyer"
''Lippincott's Monthly Magazine''. February 1888 (reprinted in The Green Bag (Summer 2016), pages 413-432).
*Belva Lockwood alumnae records and other materia
Syracuse University
Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...
Archives
Mrs. Belva A. Lockwood: Counsellor-At-Law and Advocate.
Jeriah Bonham, editor. ''Fifty Years' Recollections with Observations and Reflections on Historical Events giving sketches of Eminent Citizens—Their Lives and Public Service.'' Peoria, Illinois, J.W. Franks & Sons, 1883. Pages 248–261.
*Much of Belva Ann Lockwood’s papers have been digitized and are available at th
In Her Own Right project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lockwood, Belva Ann
1830 births
1917 deaths
American anti-war activists
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19th-century American women lawyers
American women's rights activists
Burials at the Congressional Cemetery
Female candidates for President of the United States
National University School of Law alumni
National Equal Rights Party politicians
People from Royalton, New York
Educators from Washington, D.C.
Candidates in the 1884 United States presidential election
Candidates in the 1888 United States presidential election
Activists from New York (state)
Educators from New York (state)
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19th-century American lawyers