Mahoney, Mary Eliza

Impact on the world

Became the first African-American to study and work as a professionally trained nurse in the United States, later co-founding an organization advocating for Black nurses nationally.

Life & background

A nurse, Mahoney became the first African-American to study and work as a professionally trained nurse in the United States after graduating from a rigorous 16-month nursing program in 1879. She went on to co-found the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses.

Sources

1. National Women's History Museum; American Nurses Association (ANA Hall of Fame); University of Illinois College of Medicine