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Birth
Born Victoria Claffin on 23 November, 1838, Victoria began a life of simple hardship. The 7th of 10 siblings (6 of which survived), she had no formal education. Victoria was born to an illiterate mother and a father that was a snake oil salesman (a con man) and notably close to her sister, Tennessee, throughout her life. -
First Marriage
Married Canning Woodhull at age 15. After finding out that the man she thought was an educated doctor was instead a drunkard and a quack, the relationship went sour and they finally separated when she moved to New York.
Although there is no definite word from Victoria, many historians cite this tumultuous marriage as a turning point in her life, as after it she became notably invested in women's rights activism. -
Second Marriage
Approximately 1866, Victoria married Colonel James Harvey Blood (also marrying for a second time) He had served in the Union Army during Civil War, and had been elected as city auditor of Saint Louis, Missouri. He was a major influence in her activism, actively supporting and encouraging her involvement. They parted ways in 1876. -
Moved to New York
Victoria's family moved to New York in 1868 (age 30), but the exact date unconfirmed. She and her sisters became "spiritual advisers" to Cornelius Vanderbilt, the railroad tycoon. Vanderbilt was known for watching over the sisters during their time in New York, even funding their ventures. -
Stock Brokerage
Vanderbilt had a hand in the Claffin sisters' success on Wall Street: they opened a stock brokerage firm and became the first female stock brokers. They were skyrocketed into fame and infamy (depending on who you asked about them) and used this popularity to launch many of their following projects. -
The Woodhull & Claffin Weekly
Now in the public eye, the sisters began a weekly radical magazine; writing about issues faced by women at the time. The newspaper was an advocate's outlet for essays about suffrage, free love, divorce and anti-slavery rights; the fact that women wrote about these things stirred up plenty of dust with those who disagreed with the topics to begin with. -
Announced candidacy
Woodhull began hosting parties at her home, called “at homes,” quiet events where the influential could become acquainted with her as person rather than just as a political figure. Upon remarks that this was really the forming of a new political party, they formed the Equal Rights Party, a name bearing the weighty history of unity and suffrage, to nominate her for president. -
Arest
Summer of 1872 was a struggle for Victoria. She was severely ill, her dear newspaper shut down due to lack of funds and she was nearly homeless. At her wit's end, she published an explosive article possibly in revenge of the beloved Rev. Beecher’s refusal to come to her aid in her hour of need, in which she accused him of an extramarital affair (Beecher-Tilton scandal), leading to her arrest on charges of slander and moral misconduct the day before election day. -
Rest of life
After the hubbub of the election died down, Victoria carried on with her life. She married John Biddulph Martin, a banker and philanthropist in England.She continued her work in woman's suffrage and became one of the most active voices in promoting friendly relations between England and the United States and founded the Humanitarian Magazine in London, with her daughter, Zula Maud Woodhull. -
Death
Died on 9 June, 1927, aged 88 in Bredon, United Kingdom.
