3 Nurses in American History

There are many famous nurses who stand out in American history because of their exceptional contributions. They did more than what was asked of them and to this day we see the impact they made decades ago. The three that we spotlight in this issue were all trailblazers for public health. 

Clara Barton (1821-1912) 

Born the youngest of five, Clara Barton grew up as a shy, timid girl . Her first experience as a nurse started when she was 11 when her older brother, David, fell from the rafters of their family’s barn. Through David, Barton learned how to handle his medication and treat his injuries; David eventually recovered . Barton began teaching at 18 and founded her first free school in 1852, but left after finding out her male colleagues were paid more than her. She moved to Washington D.C. and worked her first job where she received equal pay compared to her male coworkers as a clerk for the US Patent Office. During the Buchanan Administration, Barton’s position was eliminated in 1858, but she would later return to work as a copyist in the patent office after President Lincoln was elected1. In 1861, the Baltimore Riot sparked the Civil War, and with that came Barton’s passion for nursing. She joined the Army to collect and transport supplies to Union troops, risking her life to transport supplies to every major battle while tending to the sick and wounded, becoming known as the “angel of the battlefield.” After the war, Barton opened the Office of Missing Soldiers in hopes of identifying the unmarked graves of soldiers killed in the war. After locating more than 22,000 missing soldiers, Barton became part of the woman’s suffrage movement and an activist for civil rights. In 1868 she toured Europe, when she visited Geneva, Switzerland, she discovered the Red Cross Association in which provided aid to parties harmed in combat, regardless of political affiliation. She was so inspired by the association that she worked to create a similar branch in America. In 1881 she successfully founded and led for twenty-three years the American Red Cross. Barton will be forever known as the founder of the humanitarian organization, and someone who always aided those in need, whether she nursed them back to health or advocated for their rights. 

Lillian Ward (1867-1940) 

Lillian Wald grew up in a happy family of doctors. She attended boarding school, where she excelled in languages, arts, math, and science. Wald applied to Vassar College but was rejected because she was just 16 at the time. She began traveling the world and briefly worked as a newspaper reporter. At 22, Wald was inspired to become a nurse after meeting someone her age who worked as one. Wald enrolled at New York Hospital’s School of Nursing and graduated in 1891. She began her nursing career at New York Juvenile Asylum, an orphanage on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Though the conditions were poor, Wald made the most of it for her residents while teaching classes for low-income immigrant families. While working as a visiting nurse for Lower East Side residents, Wald witnessed the living conditions that immigrant families were forced into, so she, along with fellow nurse Mary Brewster, moved to the area to be closer in order help more people. Soon after Wald coined the term “public health nurse” to describe the work that she and others did outside the hospital. Wald eventually founded the Henry Street Settlement, an organization that provides healthcare and education on the Lower East Side. This ensured that the community had equal access to public health, which Wald believed everyone deserved. She also built a stronger community through the women and children there. Wald not only taught women essential skills, she also provided them with job opportunities through the Settlement, which allowed women to gain independence from their families. She was a tireless advocate, she helped found the Women’s Trade Union League in 1903, and in 1915 she became a leader of the Child Labor Committee, now known as the National Child Labor Committee. Wald also became one of the early members of the NAACP, hosting their first major public conference at the Henry Street Settlement. Wald’s legacy has touched the lives of many even after her death on September 1, 1940. People who are provided education, healthcare, and new job opportunities from the Henry Street Settlement, have her to thank. 

Elizabeth ‘Betsy’ Warham Forster (1886-1972) 

Known as “Betsy” growing up, Forster was a talented nurse who thrived wherever she worked. She graduated from Union Memorial Hospital of Baltimore, Maryland, and was hired soon after to work at the Visiting Nurse Association of Colorado Springs. During the Spanish Flu epidemic, she was hired to work as a private nurse for Laura Gilpin, a talented photographer. The two became close friends and associates. It was by chance that Forster’s career would leave a legacy in medical research. While on a camping trip with Gilpin, the duo ran out of gas near a Navajo reservation in Arizona, and while Gilpin went to get gas, Forster stayed behind and connected with the locals. By the time Gilpin returned, Forster had become acquainted with the community. A year later she accepted her new job as the public health nurse for the reservation. When Forster first moved, she found the medical resources abysmal. Forster was l enthusiastic to learn about the tribe and the medical practices they performed. Gilpin provided important photographs. The reservation was welcoming to outsiders, but apprehensive about exposing new people to their traditions. Forster noticed how detrimental it would be to replace the traditions, rituals, and education at the reservation, so she sought to advocate for the tribe’s autonomy without compromising the patients’ health. Instead of replacing their practices, Forster followed their methods and combined them with what she had learned as a nurse, while adding extra steps for hygienic purposes in certain cases. Although her time at the reservation was only three years, she created a new system to help public health nurses integrate new ways of health with older traditions. 

These nurses made significant contributions to healthcare and society in general. They offered new opportunities for people in need during challenging times. This world is a better place because they lived and worked for humankind.