Belva Lockwood: The Woman Who Would be President in 1884

It's taken 125 years for a woman to have a chance to become president of the United States. Why did it take so long? ---BBB

Belva Lockwood: The Woman Who Would be President
by Jill Norgren Editorial Reviews

Book Description

Foreword by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

"Norgren has written an engrossing and insightful book about Belva Lockwoof, a woman who, through tenacity, drive and self worth, accomplished more in the 19th century than many modern women accomplish. Because Lockwood was known to few and most of her personal papers were destroyed after her death, Norgren has done an exemplary job of illuminating the life of this varied and accomplished woman."

From Publishers Weekly

Long before Hillary Clinton, there was Belva Lockwood: two-time presidential hopeful, Lockwood campaigned in 1884 and 1888 on a platform of women's suffrage. In the first full-length biography of this feminist pioneer, legal historian Norgren has meticulously researched what little has remained of Lockwood's papers, most of which were destroyed after her death. Lockwood was, in a word, tenacious: one of the first female lawyers in the country, she was the very first woman to be admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court Bar, an episode that Norgren recounts in moving detail. Glimpses of Lockwood's less-heroic side emerge as well, and it's to Norgren's credit that Lockwood's controversial views on Mormons, Native Americans and freed slaves are placed in their proper historical context, but aren't necessarily forgiven. Indeed, fights with other suffragists and a seemingly inexhaustible well of self-regard are featured alongside Lockwood's many strengths and accomplishments. Norgren never reaches beyond the facts of the record, rarely speculating on Lockwood's intentions, thoughts or purpose-a plus for those who like their biography embellishment-free, but a definite minus for more casual readers, who may find Lockwood too distant to rouse sympathy. Illustrations.

Publishers Weekly Annex

Long before Hillary Clinton, there was Belva Lockwood: two-time presidential hopeful, Lockwood campaigned in 1884 and 1888 on a platform of women's suffrage. In the first full-length biography of this feminist pioneer, legal historian Norgren has meticulously researched what little has remained of Lockwood's papers, most of which were destroyed after her death. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

John M. Ferren, author of Salt of the Earth, Conscience of the Court: the Story of Justice Wiley Rutledge

"In this thoroughly researched and beautifully written biography, Jill Norgren traces Belva Lockwoods dogged efforts to earn a living as a lawyer in Washington while caring for her daughter and becoming a leading advocate for womans suffrage and the peaceful arbitration of international disputes. Norgrens brilliant study makes clear why Lockwood--the first woman to argue before the Supreme Court (1879) and run for President (1884 and 1888)--belongs in the ranks of Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Frances Willard." --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Christine Stansell, The New Republic

Jill Norgrens study of Belva Lockwood (which comes with a graceful preface by Ruth Bader Ginsburg) is a very unusual book. . . . Norgren has the great discernment to see Lockwoods life as large and anticipatory rather than eccentric and half-realized. A legal historian of considerable skill, she ploughed through reams of records to construct an account of Lockwoods legal career. . . . The comparison [of Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi to] Belva Lockwood is illuminating, because it was Lockwoods instinct for opportunity that took her out of womens politics, with their intact principles, into the thick of things. . . . The biographies of these women will be composed of the workaday, disenchanted materials of political lives--perseverance, competence, canniness, and, yes, a facility for the quick grab--that Belva Lockwood cultivated and prized. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Library Journal, starred review

Although few of Lockwoods papers have survived, Norgren has delivered an able and long overdue study of Lockwoods life, drawing on newspapers, magazines, organizational records, and the papers of Lockwoods contemporaries. Though the book emphasizes Lockwoods career, the inclusion of information on her family and friends gives added dimension. Highly recommended for both public and academic libraries; essential for womens history collections. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

New York Sun

Many biographers would balk at the paucity of archival sources, but Norgren persisted. . . . In [Norgrens] credible narrative, Lockwood emerges as a shrewd self-promoter, never hesitating to garner publicity for herself and her causes. . . . In eloquent detail, Norgren shows how Lockwood loved the law. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Jill Norgren is Professor Emerita of Government at John Jay College and the Graduate Center of The City University of New York. Her articles have received awards from the American Society for Legal History and the United States Supreme Court Historical Society. Her books include The Cherokee Cases: The Confrontation of Law and Politics and American Cultural Pluralism and Law (with Serena Nanda).