January 10, 2022
Modern nursing as we know it was shaped by some of the most famous nurses in history, with trained caretakers breaking barriers and continually revolutionizing the profession. From founding the practice of nursing to establishing it as a celebrated career path for both men and women, the pioneers of nursing made groundbreaking progress over time. Today, the occupation is lauded for its mission to assist people in medical need by providing the proper care to live a healthy life. Read further to learn about the most recognized historical nursing figures on record, each of whom made prominent and selfless contributions to society throughout their adult lives.
Dorothea Dix (1802-1887)
The first of our famous nurses is Dorothea Dix, who notably founded the first generation of more than 30 dedicated American mental asylums in New Jersey, North Carolina, and Illinois. She spent most of her adult life working to help mentally ill individuals receive proper treatment, going on to serve as the Superintendent of Army Nurses throughout the United States Civil War. In addition to volunteering her time to personally care for injured soldiers, Dix also appointed and oversaw over 3,000 female nurses for the Union Army before stepping down from her leadership position in 1865.
Florence Nightingale (1820-1910)
Florence Nightingale is perhaps the most well-known of all the nursing leaders in history. Coined as the founder of modern nursing, she was a British nurse who cared for wounded soldiers during the Crimean War and earned the nickname "The Lady with the Lamp," as she would walk around during the nighttime hours to check on the injured men who were recovering in their beds. During her days as a nursing professional, Nightingale wrote over 150 books and reports on health-related issues, advanced the field of statistics by creating one of the first versions of the pie chart, and is arguably most celebrated for her contributions to making hospital conditions cleaner and safer than they once were.
Clarissa "Clara" Harlowe Barton (1821-1912)
The original founder of the American Red Cross in 1881, Clara Barton would go on to oversee that organization for the next 23 years. After stepping down from the Red Cross in 1904, she then established the National First Aid Association of America to develop emergency preparedness and first aid kits. Barton first began contributing to the healthcare profession as a hospital nurse during the American Civil War, during which she became known for the support and supplies she provided for Union soldiers injured in battle. She successfully transported supplies for every major battle in Maryland, Virginia, and South Carolina, becoming known as the "angel of the battlefield."
Linda Richards (1841-1930)
Linda Richards, another historical nurse famed for her pioneering efforts, was the very first professionally trained American nurse. She graduated from the New England Hospital for Women and Children in Boston in 1873 along with four fellow students from the school's inaugural class. Richards later applied her knowledge of nursing to give back to aspiring young professionals, establishing successful nursing training programs internationally in both the United States and Japan (the first that country had ever seen). She also served as the first president of the American Society of Superintendents of Training Schools and purchased the first share of stock in the American Journal of Nursing Company in 1900.
Mary Eliza Mahoney (1845-1926)
Mary Eliza Mahoney became the first African American to graduate from an American nursing school in 1879, also securing her status as the first Black professionally trained nurse to obtain her nursing license in the United States. In 1908 Mahoney co-founded the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN), which she formed to help improve equality for African Americans in the field going forward. Retiring after 40 years of nursing, she famously became one of the first women to register to vote in Boston. The American Nurses Association inducted Mahoney into their Hall of Fame in 1976, and in 1993, she was also welcomed into the National Women's Hall of Fame for her significant legacy.
Margaret Sanger (1879-1966)
During a time when it was taboo to publicly speak out about women's healthcare, Margaret Sanger refused to be silent. She made it her personal mission to provide women with birth control information and fought to repeal the Comstock Law (1873), which made it a federal offense to distribute birth control through the mail or across state lines. Sanger continued to advocate for the right to family planning throughout her life, once spending 30 days in prison for opening the first birth control clinic in 1916. Her persistence paid off when a court ruling enabled her to open another clinic seven years later. Staffed entirely by social workers and female doctors, the clinic would later be known as the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
Mary Breckinridge (1881-1965)
Mary Breckinridge, a renowned nurse and midwife, made our list of famous nurses for her efforts in establishing the first comprehensive healthcare system of its kind on American soil – the Frontier Nursing Service (FNS). She served as director of the FNS for 37 years until her death in 1965, helping provide essential healthcare for the poor population in rural southeastern Kentucky over the years.
Mabel Keaton Staupers (1890-1989)
With fellow African Americans facing discrimination during times of segregation in America, Mabel Keaton Staupers advocated against racial inequalities in the nursing profession. Her most notable feat was successfully ending the exclusion of African American nurses from the United States Army in 1945 during World War II. For her efforts, Keaton Staupers was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1951.
Virginia Avenel Henderson (1897-1996)
As an accredited nurse and author, Virginia Henderson makes our list of historical nurses for writing the definition of nursing as we know it. It reads: "The unique function of the nurse is to assist the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will or knowledge." In addition to teaching at the Yale School of Nursing and earning emeritus distinction, Henderson also published multiple textbooks throughout her career. She was inducted into the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame and received the Christiane Reimann Prize from the International Council of Nurses, which is known as the most prestigious honor in nursing.
Hazel Johnson-Brown (1927-2011)
Serving in the United States Army from 1955-1983, Hazel Johnson-Brown became the first African American female general in 1979. She also earned the distinction of being the first African American Chief of the Army Nurse Corps, leading Registered Nurses (RNs) responsible for caring for Army personnel. In the role, she accomplished many firsts, including opening scholarship eligibility to ROTC nursing students and publishing the first Standards of Practice for the Army Nurse Corps.
Remembering Nursing Pioneers
From Dorothea Dix to Hazel Johnson-Brown, our list of some of the most influential historical nursing figures of all time commemorates monumental displays of selflessness and innovation from the past. What was learned and accomplished years ago by the famous nurses detailed above continues to lay the foundation for future growth in the nursing field, helping to provide enhanced healthcare for people from all walks of life for the years to come.
Sources
- National Women's History Museum. "Dorothea Dix." https://www.womenshistory.org/. 9 November 2021.
- National Women's History Museum. "Clara Barton." https://www.womenshistory.org/. 9 November 2021.
- National Women's History Museum. "Margaret Sanger." https://www.womenshistory.org/. 9 November 2021.
- National Women's History Museum. "Mary Eliza Mahoney." https://www.womenshistory.org/. 9 November 2021.
- NursingCE. "Famous Nurses That All Nursing Students Should Know and Their Impact on the Profession." https://www.nursingce.com/. 27 October 2021.
- Regis College. American History: Influential Female Nurses." https://onlinenursing.regiscollege.edu/. 27 October 2021.
- Why I Want to be a Nurse. "Famous Nurses – Changing the Nursing Profession." http://www.whyiwanttobeanurse.org/. 27 October 2021.