Clara Barton
Clara Barton | |
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Barton in 1865 | |
| Born | Clarissa Harlowe Barton December 25, 1821 |
| Died | April 12, 1912 (aged 90) Glen Echo, Maryland, U.S. |
| Resting place | North Cemetery in Oxford, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Nurse, humanitarian, founder and first president of the American Red Cross |
| Relatives | Elvira Stone (cousin) |
| Signature | |
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 then 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. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1973.