The Surratt Courier

[L Verge]

A+ for the teacher! It was indeed Belva Lockwood, a very interesting lady (in better ways than the previously mentioned Victoria Woodhull). Belva started out as an educator and then decided to tackle the male world of law. She attended National University Law School in D.C. - now George Washington University School of Law - and became one of the first female lawyers in the U.S. However, she had to fight for her diploma, despite having successfully completed all of her course work. The University refused to grant a diploma to a female until Ulysses S. Grant (then a member of the board) made it happen.

In 1879, Mrs. Lockwood became the first woman to be granted permission to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. She went on to sponsor the first black lawyer to argue a case before the Court. Her excellent presentations before the Court contributed to her declaring for the Presidency in 1884, under the platform of the National Equal Rights Party.

Mrs. Lockwood lived for many years in a variety of homes in D.C., including on Tenth Street, NW, just two doors down from the Petersen House where Lincoln died years before. When deciding to run for President, she made her announcement on a farm in Prince George's County, Maryland, about 20 miles from Surratt House. The cabin where she held her "press conference" once stood at Grigsby Station, a small railroad stop in Landover (think FedEx Field), Maryland. It was later moved to the town of Glenn Dale and preserved, but few people today know of its existence.