Belva Lockwood: The Woman Who Would Be President

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.