Clara Barton

By Annabelle Sebastian

Image from Wikimedia Commons

Clara Barton (1821-1912) was an advocate for public schools, and the first president of the American Red Cross.

In 1851, Barton began teaching in Hightstown, New Jersey, where she worked at the Cedar Swamp School. Barton quickly came to realize that New Jersey had no public schools. When she visited Bordentown, she found that there were over 400 children on the streets, and she quickly arranged for a meeting with the chairman of the school committee. Barton was allowed to open a public school, and in May of 1852, she opened Bordentown’s first free school, where she worked without salary. By the end of the year, over 600 children attended her school. To keep up with the demands of the new public school, a new building was built, and a new, male, teacher was hired as the new principal, and was paid twice as much. Barton was thus forced to leave her position, and, hurt, she moved to Washington, D.C..

In Washington, D.C., Barton began training as a nurse, helping with relief efforts for the Civil War. During this time, she helped tend to the wounded, and distributed supplies among the soldiers. Upon the end of the war, she helped search for missing soldiers, and was responsible for helping inform the families and the government of the fates of over 20,000 soldiers. After the Civil War, she was requested to help the Swiss Red Cross with relief efforts for the Franco-Prussian War. For her efforts, she received 27 decorations of honor from several countries, including Turkey and the United States.

As an admirer of the Swiss Red Cross, she was determined to begin the American Red Cross. In 1873, she began her efforts, and for the first two decades of its existence, Barton managed the finances, directed all activities, and participated in field work. She helped aid many victims during natural disasters, such as the 1881 Michigan Forest Fire, or the 1888 Florida yellow fever epidemic. In 1904, she relinquished control of the American Red Cross and retired to Maryland.

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References:

Pfanz, Donald C. Clara Barton’s Civil War: Between Bullet and Hospital. Yardley, PA: Westholme Publishing, 2018.

Spinner, Stephanie. Who Was Clara Barton?. New York: Penguin Workshop: 2014.

Henle, Ellen L. “Clara Barton, Soldier or Pacifist?” Civil War History 24, no. 2 (1978): 152-160.

Hughes, James. “Those Who Passed Through: Clara Barton.” New York History 85, no. 1 (2004): 65-70.

Krensky, Stephen. 2011. Clara Barton. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/662405771

Dunn, Joeming W., and Rod Espinosa. 2009. Clara Barton. Edina, Minn: Magic Wagon. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/767671236

Barton, Clara. 1898. Clara Barton for Woman Suffrage. [Boston]: [Woman’s Journal]. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/866988733 

Suggested Citation:

Sebastian, Annabelle. “Clara Barton.” New Jersey Women’s History, Rowan University Libraries, 2024. https://njwomenshistory.org/biographies/clara-barton/.