By Kristy McCaffrey
Mary Edwards Walker was the second female doctor in American
history, graduating from Syracuse Medical College in 1855. (The first was
Elizabeth Blackwell six years prior, attending Geneva Medical College in
Geneva, New York.) She was also the only woman to ever receive the Medal of Honor.
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| Dr. Mary E. Walker |
Walker came from a large family of seven children. Her parents encouraged her to think freely and allowed her to dress in men’s clothing. They also believed their daughters should be equally educated alongside their sons.
After Walker graduated from medical school, she married Albert Miller, another medical student. During the ceremony she refused to “obey” her husband, wore a short skirt with trousers, and kept her maiden name. Together they began a medical practice in Rome, New York, but it failed because the public wouldn’t accept a female doctor. After a ten-year separation, Walker and Albert later divorced on the grounds of his infidelity, and she was pegged as anti-marriage and anti-family for the remainder of her life.
During the Civil War, Walker worked as an unpaid volunteer nurse
for the U.S. Patent Office Hospital because she wasn’t allowed to serve as a medical
officer (or a surgeon, for which she was trained) due to her gender. But
finally, in 1863 her request to practice as a surgeon was accepted. She became
the first female U.S. Army surgeon for the Army of the Cumberland.
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| U.S. postage stamp from 1982 |
She often crossed battle lines and in 1864 she was captured by Confederate troops as a spy. She was imprisoned for four months at the notorious Castle Thunder prison near Richmond. She was released as a part of a prisoner exchange with other medical doctors. When the war ended, she was awarded the Medal of Honor for Meritorious Service by President Andrew Johnson.
In 1916, the Medal of Honor was taken away from Walker and
many others after a government review deemed them ineligible. In 1977,
President Jimmy Carter legally restored the Medal of Honor to Walker’s name.
She is the only woman to ever receive the award from over 3,500 recipients.
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| In 2024, Mary Walker was recognized on a new U.S. quarter |
Beyond her medical work, Dr. Walker espoused progressive
values and viewpoints. She was an advocate for women’s rights and fought for
the right to vote, as well as for the right to dress how she wished. She passed away in 1919 at the age of 86.
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What an incredible doctor. Thank you for sharing, Kristy.
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