Belva Lockwood

Hello! My name is Belva Lockwood. I was born a long, long time ago, on October 24th, 1830, on a farm in New York. Even as a little girl, I loved to read and learn everything I could. Back then, many people thought school wasn't very important for girls, but I disagreed! I loved it so much that I became a teacher when I was only fifteen years old.

After I grew up and had a daughter of my own, I knew I wanted to keep learning. I decided to go to college, which was very unusual for a woman in those days. I graduated in 1857. I wanted to use my education to help people and fight for what was fair. So, I came up with a very big, very bold plan: I decided I would become a lawyer.

Becoming a lawyer was not easy. Many law schools told me 'no' just because I was a woman. But I am not someone who gives up! I finally found a school in Washington, D.C. that let me study. After I finished all my classes in 1873, they didn't want to give me my diploma! I knew that wasn't right, so I wrote a letter to the President of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant. He agreed with me, and soon after, I got my diploma!

Even as a lawyer, there were still rules against women. I was not allowed to speak in the highest court in the country, the Supreme Court. I thought that was unfair, so I worked hard to change the law. In 1879, a new law was passed that said women lawyers could go to the Supreme Court. And guess who was the very first woman to do it? Me! It was one of the proudest days of my life.

I believed that women should have the same rights as men in every way. That included voting and even being the president! To prove my point, I ran for President of the United States in 1884, and again in 1888. I didn't win, but I showed everyone that a woman could be a leader and do anything she set her mind to.

I spent my whole life fighting for equal rights for everyone. I lived to be 86 years old. Today, people remember me as a woman who bravely opened doors that had been closed to women. I hope my story shows you that you should never let anyone tell you that your dreams are impossible.