Hillary Clinton may be the first ever female presidential nominee for a major U.S. political party, but she is by no means the first women to aim her sights at the oval office. Women and the presidency have had a long history together dating all the way back to the 1800’s. Seeing as we may soon be electing the first female president I thought it appropriate to take a trip back in time to see how far women have come in the political world.
1872: Victoria Woodhull becomes the first women to run for President of the United States.
1884: Belva Lockwood runs for President of the United States. Her running mate, Marietta Stow, was the first women to run for Vice President of the United States.
1920: The 19th amendment gives women the right to vote.
1960: Oveta Hobby is the first women to be considered for a presidential candidacy by an incumbent president. President Eisenhower encourages her to run, but she declines.
1964: Margaret Chase Smith becomes first women to have their name placed in nomination for the presidency at a major political party’s convention.
1972: Shirley Chisholm becomes the first African-American major-party candidate to run for President and the first woman ever to run for the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee.
1984: Geraldine Ferraro becomes the first female vice presidential candidate representing a major political party. Her running mate, Walter Mondale, lost the election to Ronald Reagan.
2008: Sarah Palin wins the vice-presidential nomination for the Republican Party. Hillary Clinton becomes the first women to be listed as a presidential candidate in every primary and caucus nationwide.
2016: Hillary Clinton becomes the first female candidate to be nominated for president by a major political party.