Bella Abzug

Bella Savitzky Abzug (July 24, 1920 – March 31, 1998) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician who represented New York's 19th and 20th congressional districts in the United States House of Representatives from 1971 to 1977. Born to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents in the Bronx, she graduated from Hunter College in 1942 and earned a law degree from Columbia University in 1947, subsequently practicing civil rights and labor law while challenging McCarthy-era investigations and defending clients in politically charged cases, such as the Willie McGee trial.

Abzug entered Congress after a campaign emphasizing anti-war positions, civil liberties, and women's equality, becoming one of the few women in the House at the time and using her platform to introduce the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, which prohibited discrimination in credit based on sex or marital status, and to advocate for the Equal Rights Amendment, abortion rights, and child-care funding. She was the first Congress member to demand President Richard Nixon's impeachment over Watergate and led opposition to the Vietnam War, aligning with peace activists and the New Left.

Nicknamed "Battling Bella" for her combative style and flamboyant hats, Abzug faced criticism for abrasiveness that contributed to her 1976 primary defeat and later electoral losses, including bids for U.S. Senate in 1976 and New York City mayor in 1977, though she continued activism as a United Nations delegate and co-founder of the Women's Environment & Development Organization. Her career highlighted tensions between ideological fervor and institutional politics, prioritizing substantive reforms over stylistic conformity despite systemic barriers for women in mid-20th-century American governance.