Raised the dirt-poor daughter of a con man and religious zealot, Woodhull was a woman of impressive “firsts” who would have made waves even by 21st century standards. The first woman to run a Wall Street stock brokerage and testify before Congress – and one of the first to run a weekly newspaper – by the age of thirty-three, Woodhull was a divorced self-made millionaire who rubbed elbows (and later made enemies) with the likes of Cornelius Vanderbilt, Susan B. Anthony, and President Grant.

But it wasn’t just Woodhull’s ambition that threatened men of wealth and privilege. When she announced her candidacy for President in the 1872 election, they realized she was coming dangerously close to usurping the power they’d so long fought to protect – and set in motion a scheme that would see her secure zero electoral votes and spend election day in jail.

A dramatic and engrossing read, Madame Presidentess breathes new life into Woodhull’s indomitable spirit, grit, and determination in challenging the conventions of post-Civil War America – and shines a spotlight on how she proved women to be stronger, more capable, and more deserving of credit than 19th century society could fathom.