Notorious Victoria: The Life of Victoria Woodhull, Uncensored

by Mary Gabriel

Journalist Mary Gabriel hews more closely to the particulars of Victoria Woodhull's life than Barbara Goldsmith does in Other Powers, but in its more focused way her traditional biography is just as revelatory of larger issues in American society. Gabriel prompts new respect for the feminist who was so scandalous that she was erased from traditional feminist history. Woodhull was an intrepid go-getter who rose from a wooden shack in Ohio to a manor house in England, pausing along the way to become America's first female stockbroker (in 1870) and the first woman to run for president (in 1872).

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Feminism, Historical, Biography Memoir, Ebooks

385 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 28, 1998

About the author

Mary Gabriel was educated in the United States and France, and worked in Washington and London as a Reuters editor for nearly two decades. She is the author of two previous biographies: Notorious Victoria: The Life of Victoria Woodhull, Uncensored, and The Art of Acquiring: A Portrait of Etta and Claribel Cone. She lives in Italy.

Reviews

[Christopher Saunders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Underwhelming biography of the remarkable Victoria Woodhull, 19th Century American feminist and scandal magnet. Woodhull's certainly a fascinating subject, her life filled with twists and turns out of a gothic Horatio Alger novel: a petty criminal father and mad mother; emancipating from her first husband as a teenager; working as a psychic medium; forming a Wall Street brokerage firm and publishing house with her sister, a sometime lover of Cornelius Vanderbilt; becoming a radical reformer advocating socialism, women's suffrage and free love; and, her main claim to modern fame, becoming the first woman candidate for President in 1872, despite being ineligible to vote and too young to hold office. Unfortunately, Gabriel presents this incredible story in a workmanlike, "just the facts" fashion that recounts events and scandals without true engagement or insight, quoting heavily from letters, speeches and other primary documents that occasionally make it a chore to sort through. As an introduction to a remarkable woman, it's adequate, but I imagine there are better biographies available.

[Jeannine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fellow Ohioan ancestor of sorts. This woman would have helped us have the right to vote much sooner, decades before it occurred, if it weren't for the controversy that followed her whereever she went. True, she was not without mistakes, but aren't we all. What I found from reading this is that the suffragette ladies were just as competitive and egotistical as women are today. I had heard about Victoria in my women's history class in college and later found this biography and poured through the pages asap. She was definitely a woman WAY ahead of her time. If she lived here now in SF, no one would have squirmed about her lifestyle.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story follows the life of Victoria Woodhull, a pioneer in women's rights, the first woman to run for President, the first woman stockbroker (along with her sister Tennie), and a proposed spiritualist. Victoria lived during the gilded age in New York and was aquainted with the likes of Cornelius Vanderbilt, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Victoria's life was a rags to riches story. Scandal often followed her and her family and were often fighting legal battles due to the scandalous stories they printed in their own weekly newspaper, leading to her moniker Notorious Victoria.

This is a well researched and written account of Woodhull's life. The incidents she often found herself in were often unbelievable, but Mary Gabriel does a fine job of bringing the reader into the mindset of the day to understand how Victoria and her sister Tennie found them in such precarious predicaments. It's a great book to read, to understand how far women have come and appreciate those who stood up for women's rights.

[Trudy Silverheels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victoria Woodhull has always been one of my heroines. I already knew, of course, that she was a younger contemporary of Susan B. Anthony in the 19th century movement for women's suffrage and an outspoken champion of free love. So controversial was her life and her lifestyle that one newspaper of the time famously issued the headline: "Victoria waives the rules."

Yet I was amazed to find out how much more fascinating and eventful was her life than I could ever have imagined. I learned, for instance, that she started her amazing career as a spiritualist fortune-teller, and at a very young age became (in partnership with her sister Tennessee Claflin) the first female stock broker on Wall Street. Not long thereafter she ran for president of the United States with Frederick Douglas as her running mate. She was on familiar terms with Commodore Vanderbilt and many other well-known personalities of the time. But a feud with Henry Ward Beecher and his sisters nearly destroyed her. She was arrested repeatedly, but was never convicted of any crime. As early as 1871 she imagined the need for a United Nations.

That's all I'm going to tell you. There's more. But you'll just have to read the book yourself. I give it my highest recommendation.

[Lindsay Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book easy to read and I appreciate that this author told all about her subject, not just to good. Victoria has an interesting story and I can see why her brief power in the US suffrage movement was largely erased from popular history although that is quite sad given her accomplishments. Something I always appreciate about a book is whether it sparks my interest in another person or topic and this one did. I would be open to reading other books like this one.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the interesting story of the life and times of Victoria Woodhull who attempted in 1870 to run for President of the United States. Victoria was a quite a character. Growing up poor but highly intelligent, she went on to do many things that women of that time period were not allowed to do. Married twice, she also worked in many areas-from being a clairvoyant and a prostitute to running a newspaper and a brokerage firm. She was also the first woman to address Congress. Gabriel did a nice job researching Woodhull and her life.

[Pbwritr · Rating 4 out of 5]

An early feminist

An early feminist

Victoria Woodhull raised herself out of obscurity to become an acknowledged leader for women's rights. This biography does a sterling job in illuminating her various stances on marriage, motherhood, relationships between men and women, education, labor rights, religion, spiritualism, and more. Particularly considering the time, she led an incredible life. Married too young, wife to an alcoholic, mother to a child who required care all his life, a clairvoyant, a stockbroker in New York City, a newspaper publisher, friend of Cornelius Vanderbilt, a lecturer around the country, idolized by many but vilified by others, labeled and slandered for decades for revealing the hypocrisy of the Beecher family on morals while they concealed the famous preacher's affair with a parishioner, a zealous reformer, poor and wealthy in turns throughout her life, divorced twice in an era when that was unthinkable, found true love and her lasting marriage at age forty, became the Lady Bountiful to a small English village, engaged in numerous high-profile lawsuits as plaintiff and defendant, spent time in jail on spurious charges, too radical for suffrage leaders and left out of their history of the movement. Really a remarkable woman. I feel as if I got to know her through this book.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew that mudslinging and the press getting facts wrong was nothing new, even though it seems like every year it gets worse. But reading this book makes me realize that things are actually probably a little bit better now than at the turn of the last century.

This was an enjoyable book, although sometimes I felt that the author skimmed over potentially interesting things, and delved much too deeply into other things. It was fairly infuriating to read about how, even though Victoria was taken to court for libel, she had so many false things written about her without being able to do much about it. As always after reading a biography, I want to find out so much more about some of the other players, like Henry Ward Beecher.

All in all, I'm glad I got to know about Victoria Woodhull, who I had never heard of before reading this book.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an amazing woman Victoria Claflin Woodhull must have been. So radical that Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote her out of the suffragist history and the Communists pushed her out of the labor movement. Constantly hindered by her white trash family who seemed to attack her as much as her enemies. Hated by just as many who loved her. Wrapped up in the spiritualist movement and "free love" (not the modern day meaning -- just the ability to marry/divorce whomever one choses based on love). She tried to redress everything that was wrong in the world and eventually ended up with more than even she could handle. I think I would have really liked her...

[Kasandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining and fascinating biography of the first female stockbroker on Wall Street and a leader of the women's suffragist movement. I was surprised I'd never heard of her before finding this book... she was eccentric and grandiose, borderline crazy, perhaps, but also way ahead of her time and very modern in outlook. A really remarkable life story that kept me turning the pages to finish in a weekend (and if you are fascinated by the history of the late 19th century, this is also a good read on that account).

[R.J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

When is a movie going to be made about this very odd woman? The first woman to
1) Testify before Congress, 2
) Own a Wall Street Brokerage firm, and
3) Run for U.S. President?

She may have been a charlatan or a free spirit who simply believed in free love (at one time living with her ex-husband, current husband and lover) and spoke in support of woman's suffrage (perhaps for her own self-involved reasons) but wow. .what an interesting gal~~

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read about a woman I had no idea existed prior to reading this book. Woodhull certainly had her issues, but her accomplishments and influence in the women's rights movement can't be denied. Have to say I was disappointed that the book did not mention at all Victoria's reaction -- or if there was one -- to women being granted the vote in the US or England (the 1918 act; she died before the 1928 act). Odd. However, a good read overall about a very interesting person.

[Neal Katz · Rating 5 out of 5]

WELL DONE! Great presentation of the controversial sisters of the Victorian Era.

Well done!

I particularly appreciated the balanced handling of the controversial figure, Victoria Woodhull and her sister, Tennessee Celeste Claflin. The book easy to read and full of information. Very entertaining.

[Blaise Kyrios · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victoria Woodhull had a fascinating life. She was really ahead of her time. She would be a poly feminist if she were alive today, I believe.

[Stephanie]

Excellent book on a progressive woman who lived a very interesting life.

[S. Wigget · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a hard-to-put-down, fascinating, and informative biography of one of my favorite nineteenth-century feminists.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Victoria's life is super interesting. She was a woman beyond her time who didn't accept that she was property of her husband or that she couldn't do anything she wanted (like own a wall street business) - so she sought to change it and was persecuted for it. Then when she retreated to England, she tried to improve the village in which she lived through modernization and improved education. What i learned is that people hate change, even for their own better life. Then they mock or persecute or ostracize those who try to bring it about. Interestingly, the suffragettes only wanted the vote and not actual equality, and thus went on a smear campaign to remove Victoria from their ranks and shut her down. Amazing.
However, i didn't like the format of the book or the writing. Maybe this is just what was available but it seemed to focus a lot more on the men in her life and details of her outfits. Great subject though.

[Anne Hendricks · Rating 4 out of 5]

My takeaways on this really amazing 19th and 20th century American feminist, author, etc.
Woodhull's life and views often brought her into direct conflict with Victorian society and even the established suffrage leaders.

Her outspoken advocacy of sexual freedom led to a famous scandal when her paper published an exposé of a prominent clergyman's alleged adultery. This action resulted in her arrest for circulating an "obscene" publication shortly before the 1872 election. This radicalism caused more conservative suffragists like Susan B. Anthony to distance themselves from her, fearing that her reputation would damage the broader women's rights movement.

Despite her marginalization by some contemporaries, Woodhull is remembered today as a fearless iconoclast whose vision of equality went beyond the ballot box to include fundamental rights over one's own body and economic life.

This is the best book I have read on her!

[Sarah Rigg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victoria Claflin Woodhull was the first woman to run for president (with Frederick Douglass as her running mate). She was the first woman to address the U.S. Congress and to operate a brokerage firm on Wall Street. She also came from a fairly shady family and was a spiritualist. Her focus wasn't solely on winning the right to vote but largely to lessen the misery of both men and women by making it easier for women to marry for love and to divorce if the marriage was abusive or just highly unhappy. Her unconventional views on romantic love got her maligned as a prostitute and con woman. She was far from perfect but also passionate about social reform and helping the downtrodden. I liked that the author lets the original source material speak for itself and quotes newspaper articles by and about Victoria and Victoria's own speeches at length. Highly recommended.

[Shivani Loka-Laksmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who has heard of Victoria Woodhull? Very few; but we should have been taught about this gallant woman in high school. A mad, brave warrior for women's rights, she may not have had the presence of mind to succeed in all her aims but she certainly spoke out for women at a time when society alternately oogled and mocked her. It took me some time to get over the newspaper-like quotes and tone of this book, but the force of Victoria's personality sucked me in just as it did thousands of people years ago. I am doubly happy to be a woman living today after reading this book. She was convinced women's sexual and marital freedom would lead to the betterment of society, family and children; I daresay that I wonder what Victoria would think today if she watched an episode of Jerry Springer.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The industrious and "notorious" Victoria who came from nothing and moved through the world with verve is a curious individual to read about but I was underwhelmed by the biography as a whole that plodded along at a slower-than-necessary pace. Details matter and I recognize that there is an extensive amount of research that goes into a life like this especially when history wants to minimize or altogether not record the history of women's contributions, but it needed another comb to brush through the details BECAUSE she led an extraordinary life and interacted with quite a few people from history that is noteworthy.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The informative and engrossing biography of a great lady may be found in Mary Gabriel's book, "Notorious Victoria: The Uncensored Life of Victoria Woodhull - Visionary, Suffragist, and First Woman to Run for President." It offers a comprehensive look at Victoria Woodhull's life, from her modest beginnings through her historic run for president. This book is a must-read for everyone interested in the history of women's rights and suffrage because it is thoroughly researched and nicely written. The book is accessible as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook. 

[Colleen Benelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victoria Woodhull was a woman ahead of her time. She had ideas about equality that we are still struggling to achieve today. The book is slow in places but Victoria, her family and associates are so colorful you have to keep reading. It's also a wonderful peak into the late nineteenth century and early twentieth. It's fascinating description of court scenes and actual news clippings is entertaining as well as enlightening.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring Memorial

This is an inspiring tale of a woman who tried to use men’s tools to provide justice and equality as she interpreted. Her struggles were not always exactly honest or straight, but she learned from her lessons, forgave those who tried to hurt her, and shared her blessings with those nearest her. She was generous when she able. She did what she could to try give equality to all.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this look into the life and goals of this impactful figure from American history who has been so overlooked. The book does flow and give an excellent sense of the woman, although I'll note it does only briefly cover those aspects of her life that have received significant focus in other works, so you'll see less here on her time as a medium and the last 20 years of her life in Britain than you may expect.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading about people who are ahead of their time can be inspiring. Victoria Woodhull, however, was so far ahead of her time that we still haven't caught up with her. It was depressing how many observations she made about being a woman running for president could directly apply to Hillary. She was certainly eccentric, but she undeniably persisted.

[Tori · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a slog.

It was well-researched but lazily written; the first two thirds of it were basically just reprints of news articles in their entirety. What happened to paraphrasing and citing? The author took to that more in the last third that detailed Victoria Woodhull's last 40 years, which made that portion of the book a much more enjoyable and faster read.

[Rebecca Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fabulous book about two sisters living in an era where "you are what you say you are". The story revolves around Victoria Woodhull.
The sisters started out as spiritualists, recreating themselves with each move, eventually Victoria ends up on Wall Street. Once again, I would stop reading to look up and read about other characters or events in the book. I highly recommend it!

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Notorious Victoria: The Life of Victoria Woodhull, Uncensored is a fascinating read. A must read for all feminist and history buffs. Some of her beliefs would be considered revolutionary even by today's standards. I am recommending this to everyone I know.

[Charlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

How refreshing to read a biography of a complicated woman in history. I don't know that Victoria is the kind of gal I'd want to be friends with, but she did a lot of things women weren't supposed to do and I'm thankful to learn about her.