HISTORICAL NURSE LEADERS 1

Historical Nurse Leaders

Aleena Rieara

Denver College of Nursing

NUR300OL

Professor Metcalf

July 18, 2021

HISTORICAL NURSE LEADERS 2

Historical Nurse Leaders

Foremost, Clarissa Harlowe Barton, known as Clara, is one of the most honored women

in American history. She was born on December 25, 1821, in North Oxford, MA. She was the

fifth born of Stephen and Sarah Barton. “As the youngest in a household of strong personalities

and amongst her peers, she struggled for approval and was often made fun of” (Evans, 2003).

Her mother didn't have time to assist in her upbringing, which led to her older siblings raising

her. “As a teenager, Barton helped care for her seriously ill brother David-her first experience as

a nurse” (Michals, 2015). It should be noted that at the age of 18, Clara began teaching upon the

recommendation of renowned phrenologist L.N. Fowler. When she was 24, she moved to

Borderntown, New Jersey, where the first free school was established in 1852. Unfortunately,

after discovering that a man was hired at the same school and making twice her salary, Barton

decided to resign.

Additionally, Barton believed in equality, and she wasn't going to accept the fact that a

man making twice her salary for the same job was acceptable. She was a strong woman of the

nineteenth century, who was driven to greatness. I submit that Clara Barton was an educator,

nurse, humanitarian, founder and first president of the American Red Cross. During the Civil

War, Barton risked her life to bring supplies and support to soldiers in the field. Barton

heightened her Civil War activity when she participated in establishing a national cemetery

around the graves of the Uniform men who had died in the Andersonville Prison in Georgia.

Due to the interest she showed in the soldiers, it gave her essential information about the men

and the regiments which they belonged. While the battle raged on, Clara and her associates

assisted in every way possible in hopes of bringing relief to the battlefield. As a direct result, an

organized effort was initiated for there were many missing men which she set out to find. Prior
HISTORICAL NURSE LEADERS 3

to the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, he wrote to families of the missing soldiers,

directing them to seek out Clara’s help for their lost loved ones.

What's more, at the age of 59, the American Red Cross was founded by Clara Barton in

1881 where she served as its first president until 1904. Barton led the organization in aiding

victims of natural disasters in America and abroad. She wore many hats and had other

accomplishments, including publishing several books about the beginning of the American Red

Cross and the global Red Cross network. After the Civil war, Clara Barton shifted all her efforts

from promoting public health to women’s rights. SHE BECAME an advocate for women, where

she held meetings and rallied to gain their equal rights in society. Incredibly, the EFFECT that

Clara Barton had on the nursing profession, was inspiring others to follow in her lead. She

showed people around the world that anyone can make a change.

Finally, I chose Clara Barton for this project because she reminds me of myself. I AM an

advocate, humanitarian, nurse, and an educator as well. It takes great courage to be a voice for

not just yourself as an individual, but for everyone around you. Like Clara, I believe in making

changes for the greater good of humanity. Overcoming obstacles despite their barriers, I always

stand firm in anything I believe in and set out to do. In life, we set off on our own paths in

search of a purpose. Alas, once that purpose is found, the world is ours and nothing can stop that.
HISTORICAL NURSE LEADERS 4

References

Clara Barton. (n.d.). American Red Cross.

https://www.redcross.org/aboout-us/who-we-are/history/clara-barton.html

Evans, G. D., MD. (2003). Clara Barton: Teacher, nurse, Civil War heroine, founder of the

American Red Cross. International History of Nursing Journal; London, Vol. 7, (Iss. 3,),

Page. 75.

Michals, D., PhD (Ed.). (2015). Clara Barton. https://www.womenshistory.org/education-

resources/biographies/clara-barton
HISTORICAL NURSE LEADERS 5