Origins & Early Life

Clarissa Harlowe Barton (December 25, 1821 – April 12, 1912) was an American nurse who founded the American Red Cross. She was a hospital nurse in the American Civil War, a teacher, and a patent clerk. Since nursing education was not very formalized, and she did not attend nursing school, she provided self-taught nursing care. Barton is noteworthy for doing humanitarian work and civil rights advocacy at a time before women had the right to vote.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1973. Barton was born in Oxford, Massachusetts, a small farming community. She was named after her father's sister, Clarissa Harlow Barton. Her father was Captain Stephen Barton, a member of the local militia and a selectman who influenced his daughter's patriotism and humanitarianism. He was a soldier under the command of General Anthony Wayne in his violent removal of Indigenous peoples in the Northwest Territory.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

He was also the leader of progressive thought in the Oxford village area. Barton's mother was Sarah Stone Barton. In 1825, when she was three years old, Barton was sent to school with her brother Stephen, where she reportedly excelled in reading and spelling...

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