How many men in 1884 do you think would vote for a woman for
president? Keep in mind that women didn’t even have the right to
vote at this time. None? Maybe a few? Meet Belva Lockwood – the
very first woman to run for President. Not only did Belva run
for president against Grover Cleveland and James Blaine, she got
votes!!! Belva received 4,711 votes from men who thought she
should be president and these were only the votes that were
actually tallied. Many of the votes cast for Belva were simply
thrown out, or given to another candidate as was the case in New
York. Belva received 1,336 votes in New York, all of which were
given to Grover Cleveland who won the state of New York by only
1,149 votes. Belva didn’t win the presidency, but she commanded
the attention of so many people who, in turn, heard her
important message about the importance of equal rights for
women. Ballots for Belva, The True Story of a Woman’s Race for
the Presidency, by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, describes Belva
briefly as a little girl wit