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Happy Birthday, Clara!
Celebrate our founder’s 186th birthday with these fun facts
By Tom Goehner, Manager, Historical Outreach, National Headquarters
Monday, December 24, 2007 — Though her name commonly is associated with war and disaster, she came into the world on a joyous note.
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Did you know that...?
- Clara's parents named her after an aunt who had, in turn, been named Clarissa Harlowe after the title character of an 18th century British novel by Samuel Richardson.
- Clara's parents sent her to boarding school when she was 9 because she was too shy.
- Clara became a school teacher at the age of 17.
- Clara was one of the first women to work for the federal government.
- Clara worked on the battlefields of three wars—the U.S. Civil War, the Franco-Prussian War, and the Spanish-American War.
- Clara Barton never married or had any children but she was a much beloved aunt by several nieces and nephews.
- Clara Barton took a VIP ride on an early submarine in 1899
- Clara was a vegetarian
- Clara Barton dyed her hair black to help make her look younger.
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Born Christmas Day in 1821 in North Oxford, Massachusetts, Clara Barton spent the first 12 years of her professional life as a schoolteacher in Massachusetts and New Jersey. In 1853 she moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked in the U.S. Patent Office, one of the few women employed at the time by the federal government.
During the Civil War, she earned the title "Angel of the Battlefield" by working as an amateur nurse and providing medical supplies, food and moral support to the troops. In 1869 she traveled to Europe and, while visiting friends in Geneva, Switzerland, learned about the International Red Cross Movement and the Geneva Convention that protects the sick and wounded in warfare. On her return from Europe, she began a vigorous effort to have the United States become a signatory to the Convention, which finally occurred in 1882.
In 1881, Clara established the American Red Cross and became its first president. She led the organization for more than two decades, heading its disaster relief efforts at home and abroad, providing service to the U.S. military in the Spanish-American War (1898), and taking an active part in the women's suffrage movement and other social causes of the day.
Clara's service with the Red Cross ended in 1904, when she was forced to resign due to growing criticism over her alleged financial mismanagement. Until her death at age 90, she continued to live at her home in Glen Echo, Maryland, which had also served as the American Red Cross headquarters for many years.
Though the American Red Cross is far and away the most visible testament to Clara Barton's life and vision, travelers will find her name attached to a variety of places and things.
Selected places named after Clara Barton
- Barton County, Kansas
- Clara Barton School in Bordentown, NJ
- Clara Barton Drive in Fairfax Station, VA
- Barton Hall, Iowa State University
- Clara Barton Primary school in Oxford, MA
- Clara Barton subdivision of Edison, NJ
- Clara Barton Parkway in Maryland
- Clara Barton Rest Area on the New Jersey State Turnpike, Oldman Township, NJ
- Clara Barton Elementary School in Corona, CA
- Clara Barton School in Fargo, ND
- Clara Barton High School in Brooklyn, NY
- Clara Barton High school in Tucson, AZ
- Clara Barton Community Center, Cabin John, MD
- Clara Barton First Aid Squad, Edison, NJ
Selected events that happened in Clara Barton's birth year of 1821:
- James Monroe begins his presidency
- Mexico gains independence from Spain
- Napoleon Bonaparte, emperor of France (1799-1815), dies
- James Boyd patents the rubber fire hose
- First edition of the Saturday Evening Post is published
Quiz
Test your knowledge: Myths and facts about Clara Barton - A true-or-false quiz
The American Red Cross helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Last year, almost a million volunteers and 35,000 employees helped victims of almost 75,000 disasters; taught lifesaving skills to millions; and helped U.S. service members separated from their families stay connected. Almost 4 million people gave blood through the Red Cross, the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. The American Red Cross is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.
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