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Clarissa Harlow Barton, known as Clara Barton, was the founder of the American Red Cross. Clara Barton was born on December 25, 1821 in Oxford Massachusetts. When she was 11 years old, her brother suffered an accident and was severely injured. Barton nursed him for around two years; this nursing experience would come in handy later in her life. When Clara was 17 she began teaching school. She taught school for many years and later started a very successful public school in Bordentown, New Jersey. However, the school board did not hire her as the leader of the school and instead gave the job to a man. |
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Frustrated, she left her teaching career and moved to Washington, D.C. where she became the first woman to work in the U.S. Patent Office. While she was in Washington D.C., the Civil War broke out and Barton began supplying bandages to the troops and caring for wounded soldiers in the battlefield. During this time she was nicknamed "Angel of the Battlefield." After working as a nurse on approximately sixteen battlefields, Clara was suffering from exhaustion and her doctors ordered her to rest. |
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She took that opportunity to travel to Europe. During her time in Europe she became familiar with the Red Cross as outlined by the Geneva Treaty. Although twelve nations had signed the Treaty, the United States had not. When she returned to the States she began a campaign to have the United States join the Treaty and pledged to begin a program like the Red Cross in the United States. In 1882 the United States signed the Geneva Treaty. Clara Barton was the first President of the American National Red Cross and served as the President for more than 20 years. While the Red Cross assisted in wartime, she also expanded the services to include helping in times of natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, famines, etc. She served as the President of the American Red Cross until she was 83 years old. She died on April 12, 1912 while living in her home, Glen Echo, near Washington, D.C. |
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"I may sometimes be willing to teach for nothing, but if paid at all, I shall never do a man's work for less than a man's pay."
~Clara Barton
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