Who was the first woman to run for president?
The first woman to actively pursue the country’s highest office was Victoria Woodhull—a stockbroker, newspaper publisher, and champion of social reform who ran for the presidency in 1872, some 50 years before women throughout the United States had achieved the right to vote.
Victoria Woodhull was the first woman to run for president of the United States in 1872.
Victoria Woodhull became the first female presidential candidate, in 1872. Her candidacy preceded suffrage for women in the U.S. In 2016, Hillary Clinton became the first female presidential candidate nominated by a major party, namely the Democratic Party.