Phillips, Harriet Newton (1819–1901)
Phillips, Harriet Newton (1819–1901)
American nurse. Born Dec 29, 1819 in PA; died Aug 29, 1901, in Gladwyne, PA.
One of the 1st trained nurses in America, volunteered as a Western Sanitary Commission nurse at General Hospital Jefferson Barracks (1862–63) and at General Hospital Benton Barracks (1863–64), both near St. Louis, MO; worked for the Nineteenth General Hospital (Nashville, TN, Feb 1864); discharged (Mar 23, 1864); attended a nurse training class at Woman's Hospital of Philadelphia (later Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania) and was probably trained by Dr. Emeline Cleveland; completed nurse training (before 1870) ahead of Linda Richards, who is often mistakenly credited as the 1st trained nurse in America; served as a head nurse (1870–71) and as an instructor at Woman's Hospital; conducted missionary work with the Ojibway and Sioux tribes in Wisconsin (1872–75); employed as a matron at a San Francisco Presbyterian mission; pursued advanced training (1878) at Woman's Hospital in Philadelphia.