Bella Abzug

(July 24, 1920-March 31, 1998)

Born to Russian-Jewish immigrants, Bella Abzug grew up in the Bronx, in 1974, she received a Law Degree from Columbia University, one of very few women to do so, and practiced law for twenty-five years. At age 50, Abzug ran for Congress in Manhattan and won on a strong feminist platform. She became a nationally known legislator, one of only twelve women in the House of Representatives. She was a steadfast anti-war actist and fought for social and economic justice. After three terms in Congress, Abzug ran for Senate, losing the Democratic primary by a slim margin. Although she never held office again, though she ran for both mayor of New York and Congress, she remained a respected and visable figure in the feminist movement. She established the Women's USA Fund and the Women's Environment and Development Organization, both nonprofit advocacy groups that worked to give women's issues more prominence on the United Nations' agenda.