- Born:
- November 26, 1832, near Oswego, New York, U.S.
- Died:
- February 21, 1919, Oswego (aged 86)
- Awards And Honors:
- Medal of Honor
Mary Edwards Walker
-
Who was Mary Edwards Walker?
Mary Edwards Walker (1832–1919) was an American physician, reformer, and the first female surgeon formally engaged for field duty during the Civil War.
She overcame obstacles to graduate from Syracuse Medical College in 1855 and later served as an assistant surgeon in the Army of the Cumberland in 1863. Walker is the only woman to ever receive the Medal of Honor. After the war, she advocated for dress reform and women's rights, though her views and eccentricities sometimes caused friction with feminist organizations.
Walker wore full male attire, and she maintained that the Constitution already gave women the right to vote. Her Medal of Honor, revoked in 1917, was restored in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter. In 2023, she was chosen for the American Women Quarters Program, with her coin released in 2024.
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What did Mary Edwards Walker do as a physician?
Mary Edwards Walker was an American physician and reformer, considered the first female surgeon formally engaged for field duty during the Civil War.
After graduating from Syracuse (New York) Medical College in 1855, she briefly practiced in Columbus, Ohio, before establishing a practice in Rome, New York, with her husband, also a physician. At the start of the Civil War, she volunteered as a nurse in the Patent Office Hospital in Washington, D.C., while seeking a regular appointment in the army medical service.
In 1863, Walker was appointed assistant surgeon in the Army of the Cumberland, assigned to the 52nd Ohio Regiment in Tennessee. She later received a contract as "acting assistant surgeon" and was assigned to a women’s prison hospital and then to an orphanage.
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Why is Mary Edwards Walker considered a reformer?
Mary Edwards Walker is considered a reformer due to her ardent involvement in dress reform from an early age, following Amelia Bloomer in the cause. She was elected president of the National Dress Reform Association in 1866 and was closely associated with Belva A. Lockwood in various reform movements. Walker's view on suffrage was that the Constitution already gave the vote to women and that the legislation sought by organized suffragists was pointless.
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What role did Mary Edwards Walker play during the American Civil War?
Mary Edwards Walker was an American physician and reformer who is considered the first female surgeon to be formally engaged for field duty during the Civil War. In 1863, she was appointed assistant surgeon in the Army of the Cumberland. During the war, she served as a volunteer nurse and then as a surgeon in the 52nd Ohio Regiment. From April to August 1864, she was a prisoner in Richmond, Virginia. For her service, she received a Medal of Honor, making her the only woman to ever receive the award.
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How did Mary Edwards Walker work for women's rights?
Mary Edwards Walker, a physician and reformer, significantly contributed to women's rights, particularly in dress reform. Inspired by Amelia Bloomer, she advocated for more practical clothing for women from an early age. Walker's views on suffrage were unconventional, as she believed the Constitution already granted women the right to vote, rendering the suffragist movement's legislative efforts unnecessary. She was elected president of the National Dress Reform Association in 1866 and worked with Belva A. Lockwood in reform movements. Her commitment to these causes, alongside her Civil War service, was widely publicized by feminist organizations.
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What major awards or recognition did Mary Edwards Walker receive for her contributions?
Mary Edwards Walker is the only woman to ever receive the Medal of Honor. She received it for her service in the Civil War as an assistant surgeon in the Army of the Cumberland. After her service, Walker was elected president of the National Dress Reform Association in 1866 and closely associated with Belva A. Lockwood in various reform movements. In 2023, the U.S. government chose Walker as part of its American Women Quarters Program, which features trailblazing women on quarter coin designs, with her coin scheduled for release in 2024.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Mary Edwards Walker (born November 26, 1832, near Oswego, New York, U.S.—died February 21, 1919, Oswego) was an American physician and reformer who is thought to have been the first female surgeon formally engaged for field duty during the Civil War. She is the only woman to receive the Medal of Honor.
Walker overcame many obstacles in graduating from the Syracuse (New York) Medical College in 1855. After a few months in Columbus, Ohio, she established a practice in Rome, New York, and married Albert Miller, also a physician, with whom she practiced but whose name she did not take; the couple separated in 1859 and finally divorced 10 years later.
Walker had from an early age been interested in dress reform and became an ardent follower of Amelia Bloomer in the cause. At the outbreak of the Civil War, she traveled to Washington, D.C., to offer her services. She worked as a volunteer nurse in the Patent Office Hospital there while attempting to gain a regular appointment to the army medical service.
In 1862 Walker took time away from Washington to earn a degree from the New York Hygeio-Therapeutic College in New York City. In that year she began working in the field, and in September 1863 she was appointed assistant surgeon in the Army of the Cumberland by General George H. Thomas. Walker was apparently the only woman so engaged in the Civil War. She was assigned to the 52nd Ohio Regiment in Tennessee, and she quickly adopted standard officers’ uniform, suitably modified. From April to August 1864 she was a prisoner in Richmond, Virginia. In October she was given a contract as “acting assistant surgeon,” but she was assigned to a women’s prison hospital and then to an orphanage. She left government service in June 1865 and a short time later was awarded a Medal of Honor.
Walker was elected president of the National Dress Reform Association in 1866 and for some years thereafter was closely associated with Belva A. Lockwood in various reform movements. Feminist organizations widely publicized Walker’s Civil War service, but she became estranged from them over the years because of her growing eccentricity. She wore full male attire, complete to wing collar, bow tie, and top hat. Often arrested for masquerading as a man, she claimed that she had been granted permission to dress so by Congress; no record of any such explicit action exists. Her view of the suffrage question was that the Constitution had already given the vote to women and that the legislation sought by organized suffragists was therefore pointless.
Walker published two books, the partly autobiographical Hit (1871) and Unmasked; or, the Science of Immorality (1878). After 1886 she was known to occasionally exhibit herself in dime-museum sideshows. She wore her Medal of Honor constantly, even after it was revoked by an army board in 1917 (as were hundreds of others) because there was no record of the occasion of its award. It was restored by President Jimmy Carter in 1977. A fall on the steps of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., left her infirm to the time of her death.
In 2023 the U.S. government chose Walker as part of its American Women Quarters Program, which features trailblazing women on quarter coin designs. Her coin was scheduled to be released in 2024.
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