A suffragist, a spiritualist, a stockbroker, an author, and in 1872, the first woman to run for president of the United States, Victoria Woodhull was a visionary who defied expectations. 

But her legacy is complicated. Her advocacy of “free love” and willingness to challenge Victorian norms made her infamous in her own time. Her clashes with leading suffragists and her scandalous run ins with the law left her branded as dangerous, even immoral. For decades afterward, she was written out of mainstream histories, remembered more for controversy than for courage.

Now, Eden Collinsworth’s new book, The Improbable Victoria Woodhull, offers a fresh take. In today’s episode, we’ll explore Woodhull’s story and how this new biography helps us see her not just as a heroine or a villain, but as a woman whose choices and contradictions still have something to teach us today.

Content Warning: The topics covered in this episode may not be suitable for all audience. Listener discretion is advised.

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