Bella Abzug - Definition and Overview

Bella Savitsky Abzug (July 24, 1920–March 31, 1998) was a well-known American political figure and leader of the women's movement. She served the state of New York in the United States House of Representatives, representing part of Manhattan, from 1971 to 1977. She became an attorney in the 1940s a time when very 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 ending the Vietnam War. In 1976 she 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 for the New York City Mayoralty 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. She remained active in progressive politics even after she had ceased to be a candidate. She was well-known for her habit of wearing hats. Abzug, who was Jewish, appeared in the WLIW video A Laugh, A Tear, A Mitzvah.