Clara Barton

Clarissa Harlowe Barton (better known as Clara Barton) (December 25, 1821 (although there is a confusion with her date of birth, as her birth certificate says the 25th, while her family members say that she was born the day before Christmas, the 24th)–April 12, 1912) was a pioneer American teacher, nurse, and humanitarian. She has been described as having had an "indomitable spirit" and is best remembered for organizing the American Red Cross.

Later life, heritage

Clara Barton continued to do relief work in the field until she was well into her 70s. She went to Cuba with a cargo of supplies in 1898, and spent six weeks on the scene of the Galveston, Texas floods, at age 79. She resigned from the American Red Cross in 1904 at the age of 83 and spent her remaining years in Glen Echo, Maryland. She died in 1912 at age 90, and is buried less than a mile from her birthplace in a family plot in Oxford, Massachusetts.

Related Topics:
Cuba - Galveston, Texas - 1904 - Glen Echo, Maryland

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One published source sums her life up thusly: :

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Clara Barton was one of America's greatest heroines -- a true patriot and philanthropist who, when she saw a practical need, gave every ounce of her strength to address it. http://www.nahc.org/NAHC/Val/Columns/SC10-1.html

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The American Red Cross she founded is one of the largest humanitarian organizations in the world. Barton herself was the most decorated American woman, receiving the Iron Cross, the Cross of Imperial Russia and the International Red Cross Medal. Her final act was founding the National First Aid Society in 1904.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~