Belva Ann Lockwood

Belva Ann Bennett Lockwood (October 24, 1830 – May 19, 1917) was an American lawyer, politician, educator, and author who was active in the women's rights and women's suffrage movements. She was one of the first women lawyers in the United States. In 1879, she became the first woman to be admitted to practice law before the U.S. Supreme Court. Lockwood ran for president in 1884 and 1888 on the ticket of the Equal Rights Party and was the first woman to appear on official ballots. While Victoria Woodhull is commonly cited as the first woman to run for president, Lockwood was the first one to appear on any ballots, due to Woodhull being too young for the presidency when she ran.

Due to gender restrictions, Lockwood overcame many social and personal obstacles. Early on in life, Lockwood was a teacher and school principal, working to equalize pay for women in education. She supported the movement for world peace and was a proponent of the temperance movement.

Early and personal life

Belva Ann Bennett was born in Royalton, New York, daughter of Lewis Johnson Bennett, a farmer, and his wife, Hannah Green. Bennett spent some of her childhood at her aunt's house, which still stands at 5070 Griswold Street. In front of the house is a memorial to her with a plaque that gives a brief biography of her life. By age 14, she was teaching at the local elementary school. In 1848, by age 18, she married Uriah McNall, a farmer local to the area.

McNall died of tuberculosis in 1853, three years after their daughter Lura was born.

Education

Lockwood realized she needed a better education to support herself and her daughter. In 1854, she enrolled at Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, in Lima, NY, to prepare for college. Her plan, as she explained to Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, was not well received by many of her friends and colleagues, since most women did not seek higher education, and it was especially unusual for a widow to do so. After one semester at the seminary, she persuaded the administration at Genesee College, also in Lima, to admit her.

It was during her studies at Genesee College that Lockwood first became attracted to the law, although the school had no law department. Since a local law professor was offering private classes, she became one of his students. It made her want to learn more. Belva Lockwood graduated with honors from Genesee College in June 1857.

Early career

Lockwood graduated with honors in 1857 and soon became the headmistress of Lockport Union School. It was a responsible position, but Lockwood found that whether she was teaching or working as an administrator, she was paid half of what her male counterparts were making.

For the next few years, Lockwood continued to teach and worked as the principal at several local schools for young women. She stayed at Lockport until 1861, then became principal of the Gainesville Female Seminary. In 1863, Lockwood bought the Owego Female Seminary, where she was principal before leaving to pursue her political career. This building was dismantled and moved, before being renovated in 2019 as the Belva Lockwood Inn in Owego, NY. Lockwood's educational philosophy was gradually changing, particularly after she met women's rights activist Susan B. Anthony. Lockwood agreed with many of Anthony's ideas about society's restrictions on women. Anthony was concerned about the limited education girls received. Courses at most girls' schools chiefly prepared female students for domestic life and possibly for temporary work as teachers. Anthony spoke about how young women ought to be given more options, including preparation for careers in the business world, where the pay was better. Lockwood was encouraged to make changes at her schools. She expanded the curriculum and added courses typical of those which young men took, such as public speaking, botany, and gymnastics.

Lockwood gradually determined to study law, instead of continuing teaching, and to leave upstate New York.

In February 1866, Belva Lockwood and her daughter Lura moved to Washington, D.C., as Lockwood believed it was the center of power in the United States and would provide good opportunities to advance in the legal profession. She opened a coeducational private school while exploring the study of law. In the mid-1860s, coeducation was unusual, and most schools were separated by gender.

Second marriage

In 1868, Belva remarried, this time to a man much older than she. Reverend Ezekiel Lockwood, an American Civil War veteran, was a Baptist minister and practicing dentist. They had a daughter, Jessie, who died before her second birthday. Lockwood supported his wife's desire for legal study as well as encouraged her to pursue subjects that interested her. She earned a Master of Arts from Syracuse University in 1871. Not only did Rev. Lockwood have progressive ideas about women's roles in society, but he also helped raise Belva's daughter from her first marriage, Lura McNall. Ezekiel Lockwood died in late April 1877. In July 1879, Lockwood's daughter Lura McNall married DeForest Orme, a pharmacist.

Legal education

According to Lockwood's later account to the Chicago Tribune, about 1870, she applied to the Columbian Law School in the District of Columbia. The trustees refused to admit her, fearing she would distract the male students. She and several other women were finally admitted to the new National University School of Law (now the George Washington University Law School). Although she completed her coursework in May 1873, the law school refused to grant her a diploma because of her gender.

Without a diploma, Lockwood could not gain admittance to the District of Columbia Bar. After a year, she wrote a letter to the President of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant, appealing to him as president ex officio of the National University Law School. She asked him for justice, stating she had passed all her courses and deserved to be awarded a diploma. In September 1873, within a week of having sent the letter, Lockwood received her Bachelor of Laws. She was 43 years old.