Bella S. Abzug was one of the most influential and recognizable women in American politics and leadership in the late 20th century. A lifelong activist, she began her journey as a young woman, passionately delivering speeches on the subway to champion her unique ideas. She is especially known for her fierce advocacy for women’s rights. In the 1960s, Abzug took a stand against the Vietnam War, participating in both the anti-nuclear and peace movements, and she helped organize the Women’s Strike for Peace in 1961. To push for women’s issues and lobby for reforms, she founded the National Women’s Political Caucus. Read more about Bella’s life and work at manhattanka.com.
Early Life and First Steps in Law
Born on July 24, 1920, in New York City, Bella was the daughter of Russian immigrants. She grew up in the Bronx, where her father owned a butcher shop. Early on, Bella decided she would become a lawyer. While attending Hunter College, Abzug showed her leadership potential by becoming the head of the student council. She went on to earn her law degree from Columbia University in 1947. It’s worth noting that Bella had also applied to Hanover University’s law school but was denied admission because of her gender.
After graduating from Columbia, Abzug started a private law practice, specializing in labor law and later moving into civil rights. While working for the American Civil Liberties Union, Bella took on the case of Willie McGee, an African American man sentenced to death for allegedly raping a white woman in Mississippi. Many were convinced of his innocence. While working on the case, Bella received numerous threats from white supremacists. Despite the personal risk, she managed to secure a stay of execution by filing an appeal. However, her efforts were ultimately unsuccessful, and McGee was executed in 1951.
Abzug also defended many individuals accused of communist activities by Senator Joseph McCarthy. In the 1960s, she was instrumental in organizing the Women’s Strike for Peace. To advance women’s issues and lobby for reform, Bella, along with other leading feminists, founded the National Women’s Political Caucus.
A Champion in Congress
Seeking to have a greater impact on policy, Abzug ran for Congress in 1970 and won a seat in the House of Representatives. On her very first day in office in 1971, she made a bold move by introducing a bill to withdraw all American troops from Vietnam. Though it didn’t pass, it was just one of many attempts Abzug made to advance the causes she so fiercely believed in.
Known for her outspokenness, Bella was both celebrated and criticized for her directness. She relentlessly fought for women’s rights and civil rights in general. In 1975, she made history by introducing the first gay rights bill in Congress. Her colleagues soon recognized Bella as the third most influential member of the House of Representatives. She was known for her sharp wit, vibrant personality, and the beautiful hats she wore, which were far more than just a fashion statement. As the Boston Globe reported, Bella once stated in an interview that “working women wear hats.”
As a legal pioneer, a highly effective member of Congress representing the diverse neighborhoods of Manhattan, and a leader in the global women’s rights movement, Bella was often called the organizer of the international feminist movement. Her genius, wit, and charisma were on full display as she masterfully navigated the worlds of grassroots activism and government power. She was able to maintain her fierce integrity and never hesitated to take risks for her ideals. Bella had a rare ability to translate her visions and altruistic hopes into pragmatic solutions. She authored two successful books: Bella: Ms. Abzug Goes to Washington and The Gender Gap, the latter co-written with her friend and colleague Mim Kelber. She also lectured extensively across the US and abroad.
Political Career Development
Always open to new approaches, Abzug continuously developed innovative strategies to advance her vision of equality and empowerment for women both in the US and globally. In the last decade of her life, in the early 1990s, she co-founded the Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), one of the largest non-governmental organizations working within the UN and internationally to achieve full economic rights and equal representation for women. Bella professionally led WEDO until her death.
In 1976, Abzug ran for the US Senate, but was defeated by Daniel Patrick Moynihan by a razor-thin margin of just 1%. After leaving the House of Representatives in 1977, she ran for mayor of New York City but lost to Edward Koch in the primaries. In 1978, solidifying her influence on the national and global stage, Bella was appointed as the representative for the National Advisory Council on Women under former President Jimmy Carter. In this role, Bella, among other achievements, chaired the first National Women’s Conference in Houston in 1977, where 2,000 elected delegates from every US state and 18,000 observers participated and developed an unprecedented National Plan of Action for Women. The following year, Carter famously fired the outspoken Bella. Through her groundbreaking campaigns for higher office, many considered Bella the one who paved the way for all women, especially for generations of women leaders in politics and government.
In 1986, Abzug made another attempt at public office, running for the House of Representatives for a district in Westchester, New York, but lost to her Republican opponent. Although she never secured public office again, she remained actively involved in various public projects throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
Throughout her political career, Bella helped secure millions of dollars for public works and transportation funding in New York City. She was also the author of several landmark pieces of legislation.
Final Years
In the mid-1990s, Bella began facing serious health issues. She battled breast cancer, but the illness did not stop her from pursuing her life’s work. In 1995, she traveled to China for the Fourth UN World Conference on Women.
In early 1998, Bella was hospitalized in a New York City hospital after suffering a heart attack. She died on March 31, 1998, from complications following heart surgery.
Friends and colleagues mourned the death of this great political figure. Her former opponent, Koch, said that women all over the world, and not just in the US, owe her a debt of gratitude because Bella stood up for them like no one else until the very end.
For her outstanding service, Bella Abzug was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls and received numerous prestigious national and international awards. A year before her death, Bella received the highest civilian recognition and award from the UN, the Blue Beret Peacekeepers Award. Bella had been married to Martin Abzug since 1944. The couple had two daughters.