Taylor, Lucy Beaman Hobbs (1833-1910), was the first American woman to earn a degree in dentistry. Although other women had worked as dentists, she was the first to be admitted to a state professional dental association. Previously, such associations were open only to men. Her work helped open doors to professional opportunities for women in the United States.
Lucy Beaman Hobbs was born in Franklin County in western New York state. She studied for a career in medicine, but her teachers discouraged her from becoming a physician. One professor suggested that dentistry might be a more suitable career for a woman.
In 1859, Hobbs moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where she studied dentistry privately for several months, and later worked as an apprentice for a local dentist. In 1861, she applied to the Ohio College of Dental Surgery but was rejected because she was a woman. She then moved to Iowa, where she opened a successful practice as a dentist even though she lacked a degree.
In 1865, Hobbs was elected to the newly formed Iowa State Dental Society, the first professional dental organization to admit women. She reapplied to the Ohio College of Dental Surgery and was accepted. She received a degree in dentistry from the college in 1866, after only four months of study.
In 1867, Hobbs married James Myrtle Taylor, who also worked as a dentist after learning the profession from his wife. After their marriage, the couple moved to Lawrence, Kansas, where they operated a successful dental practice for many years.
