Celebrating our Founding Mother as we approach a new decade
December 25, 2019
By Miyana Shively, American Red Cross
Clara Barton was a teacher, self-taught nurse, humanitarian, lobbyist, writer, philanthropist and the founder of the American Red Cross. She holds a place as one of the most revered women in American history. Her life’s work and passion were to provide relief and comfort to those in need. Today, on Barton’s birthday we take time to remember this incredible woman who became our Founding Mother.
Nearly two centuries ago, she was born Clarissa Harlowe Barton in Oxford, Massachusetts. As a teenager, she began her career as a schoolteacher in a time when the majority of teachers were men. Barton went on to work at the U.S. Patent Office in Washington, D.C., as one of the first females to be employed by the federal government.
Barton immersed herself in humanitarian efforts during the Civil War. She was one of the first volunteers to appear at the Washington Infirmary to care for wounded soldiers. She risked her life to provide food and supplies to soldiers in distress. Throughout the war, Barton traveled with the Union army giving aid to both wounded Union soldiers and Confederate prisoners. Because of Barton’s compassion, she became known as “Angel of the Battlefield.”
In March of 1865, President Lincoln appointed Barton as the General Correspondent for the Friends of Paroled Prisoners. Her job was to respond to anxious inquiries from the friends and relatives of missing soldiers by locating them among the prison rolls, parole rolls or casualty lists at the camps. Because of this experience, Barton launched a reunification and closure program for the families of soldiers, the Friends of the Missing Men of the United States Army.
Clara Barton traveled to Geneva, Switzerland as a member of the International Red Cross. In 1881 the American Red Cross was established, the culmination of a decade of work by Barton. She served as the organization’s first president until 1904 and continued her tradition of philanthropy as a volunteer in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. She served as a selfless leader in the decades following and passed away at the age of 90 in 1912. Barton’s vision continues to influence how the American Red Cross leads as a humanitarian organization and provides lifesaving services to all.