Victoria Claflin Woodhull

Who exactly were the Queens of Finance? The New York Herald reserved this title for Victoria Claflin Woodhull and her sister Tennessee Claflin (or Tennie C Claflin). These sisters surmounted incredible odds by establishing a highly lucrative brokerage business on Wall Street in 1869. Born in Homer, Ohio they were not privy to the comforts and education afforded by wealth or high social stature. In fact, their childhood was quite a tumultuous one. Born to an alcoholic father, the sisters took charge of providing for the family while Tennessee was still an adolescent. Victoria and Tennessee moved to New York with their family and manage their combined living expenses with money earned from the brokerage business and profits made from their publication the Woodhull and Claflin’s Weekly. Not only are they were they successful in finance but later both become involved in politics. Victoria actually ran for president in the 1872 election, before women even had the right to vote!

As I researched them I began to wonder how these tenacious women achieved so much during the period of time in which they lived. Here’s what I gathered from what I’ve read about them:  read more »