Barton, Clara (1821-1912), was the founder of the American Red Cross. She was born in North Oxford, Massachusetts, on Dec. 25, 1821, and began her career as a teacher. She served as the first female clerk in the United States Patent Office (now the Patent and Trademark Office). Soon her humanitarian interests led her into the field of health.
After the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, Barton carried supplies to soldiers and nursed wounded men on the battlefields. Her deeds attracted national attention and appreciation. Barton was called the Angel of the Battlefield. At first, the United States government refused to give help or encouragement. But in 1864, she was appointed superintendent of nurses for the Army of the James. When the war ended, Barton formed a bureau to search for missing men. This bureau marked more than 12,000 graves in the Andersonville National Cemetery in Georgia.
The Red Cross.
Barton’s work during the Civil War left her exhausted and weak. In 1869, she went to Switzerland for a rest. There, she learned of the International Committee of the Red Cross, an organization based in Geneva. She took part in Red Cross activities at the battlefront during the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871).
In 1873, Barton returned home. In 1877, prompted by the outbreak of war between Russia and Turkey, she started to convince people of the need to take an active part in Red Cross work. Her campaign resulted in the establishment of the American branch of the Red Cross in 1881. She became its first president and held that post from 1882 to 1904. She also urged the United States government to ratify the Geneva Convention, which the government did in 1882 (see Geneva Conventions ).
Barton realized that the Red Cross could be useful to civilians as well as to soldiers. She originated the clause in the Red Cross constitution that provides for relief in calamities other than war. She took charge of relief work in the flood at Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in 1889, and the hurricane in the Sea Islands off the coast of Georgia and South Carolina in 1893. She also helped during the Russian and Armenian famines in 1891 and 1896.
Her other work.
Barton wrote several books, including The Red Cross (1898) and A Story of the Red Cross (1904). After she retired in 1904, she lectured widely on topics related to the field of health. In 1906, she organized the National First Aid Association of America. Barton died on April 12, 1912. Her 38-room house in Glen Echo, Maryland, which served as the headquarters for the American Red Cross for several years, became the Clara Barton National Historic Site in 1974.
See also Red Cross (In the United States) .
