Bella Abzug
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Bella Savitsky Abzug (July 24, 1920 – March 31, 1998) was a well-known American political figure and a leader of the women's movement. She famously said, "This woman's place is in the House — the House of Representatives," in her successful 1970 campaign to join that body.
Abzug graduated from Walton High School in New York City, and went on to Hunter College of the City University of New York, later earning a LL.B. from Columbia University. She then went on to do further post-graduate work at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.
Abzug was admitted to the New York Bar in 1947, and started practicing in New York City, particularly in matters of labor law. She became an attorney in the 1940s, a time when very few women did so, and took on civil rights cases in the South. Abzug was an outspoken advocate of liberal causes, including support for the Equal Rights Amendment, and opposition to the Vietnam War. This placed her on the master list of Nixon political opponents, and likewise Nixon was apparently on her list, according to the following :
"" .. fast forward to 1973-1974, to the tumult surrounding President Richard Nixon once the Watergate break-in came to light. James Cannon tells of a succession plot to end all plots in his biography of President Ford, Time and Chance. In October of 1973, Nixon's first vice president, Spiro Agnew, was forced to resign in disgrace. The Republican Nixon would be nominating a replacement who would have to be confirmed on Capitol Hill. But Congress was led by Democrats. New York Congresswoman Bella Abzug hatched a scheme to thwart Nixon and -- worse -- the plain intent of the Constitution. She and several other Democrats floated the idea that the Senate obstruct Nixon's VP nominee. In other words, they would insure that there would be no vice president. Then, when the president resigned because of public pressure from Watergate, succession would pass to the other party, to the Democratic speaker of the House, Carl Albert (since there would be no VP). When Congresswoman Abzug presented the scheme to Speaker Albert, he refused to go along with the extra-constitutional scheme. Some historians have argued that this is the closest to a coup d'etat the U.S. has ever come. .. ""[1]
She served the state of New York in the United States House of Representatives, representing her district of Manhattan, from 1971 to 1977. She was one of the first members of Congress to support gay rights.
In 1976, Abzug ran for the U.S. Senate, but was narrowly defeated in the Democratic primary by Daniel Patrick Moynihan. She was also unsuccessful in a bid to be the Mayor of New York City in 1977, and in attempts to return to the U.S. House from the East Side of Manhattan in 1978 and from Westchester County in 1986. Abzug remained active in politics even after ceasing to be a candidate.
In 1990, she co-founded the Women's Environment & Development Organization to mobilize women's participation in international conferences, particularly those run by the United Nations.
She was well-known for her habit of wearing noticeable hats. Abzug, who was Jewish, appeared in the WLIW video A Laugh, A Tear, A Mitzvah. She was also known in the Congress for being extremely outspoken. This became a problem during her legislative career and led one of her fellow House members to say that her support of any bill would cost it 20 to 30 votes.[citation needed]
After battling breast cancer for a number of years, she developed heart disease and died in 1998 at the age of 77.
[edit] External links
- Jewish Women's Archive Women of Valor Exhibit on Bella Abzug
- Photo, at Find-a-Grave
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
| Preceded by Leonard Farbstein |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 19th congressional district 1971-1973 (District moved) |
Succeeded by Charles B. Rangel |
| Preceded by William Fitts Ryan |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 20th congressional district 1973 – 1977 |
Succeeded by Theodore S. Weiss |
Categories: Articles with unsourced statements since April 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | American anti-Vietnam War activists | American feminists | American pro-choice activists | Breast cancer patients | City University of New York people | Columbia Law School alumni | Deaths from cardiovascular disease | Jewish American politicians | Jewish Theological Seminary of America people | LGBT rights activists | Members of the United States House of Representatives from New York | New York City mayoral candidates | People from Manhattan | National Women's Hall of Fame inductees | 1920 births | 1998 deaths
