Faye Glenn Abdellah 1919 - • As a nurse researcher transformed nursing theory, nursing care, and nursing education • Moved nursing practice beyond the patient to include care of families and the elderly • First nurse and first woman to serve as Deputy Surgeon General Bella Abzug 1920 – 1998 • As an attorney and legislator championed women’s rights, human rights, equality, peace and social justice • Helped found the National Women’s Political Caucus Abigail Adams 1744 – 1818 • An early feminist who urged her husband, future president John Adams to “Remember the Ladies” and grant them their civil rights • Shaped and shared her husband’s political convictions Jane Addams 1860 – 1935 • Through her efforts in the settlement movement, prodded America to respond to many social ills • Received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931 Madeleine Korbel Albright 1937 – • First female Secretary of State • Dedicated to policies and institutions to better the world • A sought-after global strategic consultant Tenley Albright 1934 – • First American woman to win a world figure skating championship; triumphed in figure skating after overcoming polio • First winner of figure skating’s triple crown • A surgeon and blood plasma researcher who works to eradicate polio around the world Louisa May Alcott 1832 – 1888 • Prolific author of books for American girls. Most famous book is Little Women • An advocate for abolition and suffrage – the first woman to register to vote in Concord, Massachusetts in 1879 Florence Ellinwood Allen 1884 – 1966 • A pioneer in the legal field with an amazing list of firsts: The first woman elected to a judgeship in the U.S. First woman to sit on a state supreme court. First woman to sit on a Federal bench of general jurisdiction. First woman Chief Judge on a Federal Court. Linda G. Alvarado 1952 – • Opened doors to women in construction as the founder and sole owner of a commercial and industrial contracting/site management firm. Sought after for corporate board seats at age 27 and still today • First woman and first Hispanic to co-own a major league baseball team (Colorado Rockies) Dorothy H. Andersen 1901 – 1963 • Pediatrician and pathologist who was the first to identify cystic fibrosis. Developed the diagnostic test that led to treatment and management of the illness • Developed training programs for surgeons performing open- heart surgery. Marian Anderson 1897 – 1993 • The first African-American to perform at the White House. The first African-American singer to perform as a member of the Metropolitan Opera • Her famous concert at the Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday 1939 helped shatter color barriers Ethel Percy Andrus 1884 – 1967 • Founded the National Retired Teachers Association to meet economic needs of retired teachers • Founded the American Association of Retired Persons Maya Angelou 1928 – 2014 • A powerful writer who inspired generations of women, African Americans and all people to overcome prejudice, discrimination and abuse • First black woman to have a screenplay produced Susan B. Anthony 1820 – 1906 • One of the preeminent leaders of the women’s suffrage movement • Although she did not live to see the Nineteenth Amendment passed and ratified, she knew the cause would be won as she said “Failure is Impossible.” Virginia Apgar 1909 – 1974 • Developed the 0-10 point score used on all newborns at one minutes and five minutes after birth – the Apgar Score • A doctor who was the first woman to head a department at Columbia University and the first woman to hold a full professorship in any discipline at that University Ella Baker 1903 – 1986 • A major force in the civil rights movement • Premiere behind-the-scenes organizer, co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference headed by Martin Luther King, Jr. and inspiring force behind the creation of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee •, Lucille Ball 1911 – 1989 • Her beloved comedy show, I Love Lucy, pioneered many technical aspects and served as a launching pad for her talents • First female studio head in Hollywood, breaking the glass ceiling for women executives in the film and television industry Ann Bancroft 1955 – • The first woman to travel across the ice to the North Pole • An athlete and educator whose many sports firsts has led to her dedication to inspiring women and girls to follow their dreams. Clara Barton 1821 – 1912 • Founded the American Red Cross • Known as the “angel of the battlefield” during the Civil War Eleanor K. Baum 1940 – • The first woman engineer to be named dean of an engineering college in the U.S. • Her many accomplishments within the engineering field throughout her career have broken professional gender barriers Ruth Fulton Benedict 1887 – 1948 • A pioneering anthropologist who became America’s leading specialist in the field • Mentored anthropologist Margaret Mead Mary McLeod Bethune 1875 – 1955 • The founder of a school that is today Bethune-Cookman University • An advisor to many presidents, she served in the so-called “Black Cabinet” and worked hard to improve the status of African Americans Antoinette Blackwell 1825 – 1921 • The first woman minister of a recognized denomination • Worked in the women’s rights movements and lived long enough to cast her ballot in 1920 Elizabeth Blackwell 1821 – 1910 • The first woman awarded the M.D. degree • Founded a Women’s Medical College in order to train other women physicians Emily Blackwell 1826 – 1910 • A doctor who directed the Women’s Medical College in New York City • Her high standards made the college the finest of its time for educating women in medicine Amelia Bloomer 1818 – 1894 • Suffrage pioneer and writer • Her name is forever associated with dress reform – the tunic and pantelettes known as bloomers Nellie Bly 1864 – 1922 • A pioneer in investigative reporting • Later, an entrepreneur who pioneered in treating her employees well Louise Bourgeois 1911 – 2010 • One of the world’s preeminent artists • Painted, sculpted and worked with textiles. The only American woman sculptor in the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden in Washington, DC Margaret Bourke-White 1904 – 1971 • The first female documentary photographer to work with and be accredited by the U.S. armed forces • Her photo graced the cover of the first Life magazine Lydia Moss Bradley 1816 – 1908 • Founded Bradley Polytechnic Institute; today Bradley University • First female member of an American national bank board Myra Bradwell 1831 – 1894 • One of America’s first women lawyers • Advocated for women’s suffrage and created Chicago’s first women’s suffrage convention Mary Breckinridge 1881 – 1965 • The nation’s foremost pioneer in the development of American midwifery • Established the Frontier Nursing Service to provide nursing care in rural areas Nancy Brinker 1946 – • The leader of the global breast cancer movement; established pink as the iconic color for breast cancer • Founded Susan G. Komen; a pioneer in the concept of cause-related marketing and has raised billions in dollars for research for breast cancer Gwendolyn Brooks 1917 – 2000 • A Pulitzer Prize winning poet • Much of her work reflects the neglected miracles of everyday existence Pearl S. Buck 1892 – 1973 • Most well known for her international best seller The Good Earth for which she received the Pulitzer Prize • A Nobel Laureate in Literature Betty Bumpers 1925 – • The former First Lady of Arkansas has dedicated her life to issues affecting children’s health, empowering women, and the cause of world peace • Spearheaded a program, since emulated nationwide, for childhood immunizations Charlotte Anne Bunch 1944 – • One of the foremost advocates of international attention to women’s issues and the inclusion of gender and sexual orientation on global human rights agenda • Founded the Center for Women’s Global Leadership at Rutgers University St. Frances X. Cabrini 1850 – 1917 • The founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The patron saint to immigrants • Founded convents, schools, orphanages and hospitals in the U.S. and around the world – ultimately directing 67 hours, staffed by 1500 nuns aiding the poor, illiterate, the unskilled and the sick Mary Steichen Calderone 1904 – 1998 • Physician, author and founder of SIECUS – the Sex Information and Education Council of the United States • Her numerous books have helped parents explain sex and sexuality to their children Annie Jump Cannon 1863 – 1941 • An astronomer who perfected the universal system of stellar classification still in use today • Classified hundreds of thousands of stars Rachel Carson 1907 – 1964 • Her 1962 book, Silent Spring, was a call to action against the pesticide DDT and galvanized the entire environmental movement • Often credited with sparking the efforts that led to Earth Day in 1970 Rosalynn Smith Carter 1927 – • Significantly raised public awareness of mental health issues as First Lady • Her initiative “Every Child by Two” led to significantly increased levels of immunization Mary Ann Shadd Cary 1823 – 1893 • The first African-American woman in North America to edit a weekly newspaper • First African-American woman to earn a law degree • First woman to speak at a national African-American convention Mary Cassatt 1844 – 1926 • An impressionist painter who painted what she saw – often mothers and children Willa Cather 1873 – 1947 • A Pulitzer Prize winning author whose novels echo themes of strong women, the fight against provincial life and the dying of the pioneer tradition • Carrie Chapman Catt 1859 – 1947 • A dynamic speaker