Treaty of Geneva (1864)
Inspired by Henry Dunant's pamphlet A Memory of Solferino, and the resulting international feeling against the negligence that prevailed in the care of the war wounded, the First Geneva Convention convened in 1864 with 24 delegates representing 16 governments. The resulting Treaty of Geneva was signed by all but four delegates. Representatives of Great Britain, Saxony, Sweden, and the United States did not sign the treaty at that time.

Clara Barton (1821-1912)
Clara Barton dominates the early history of the American Red Cross, which was modeled after the International Red Cross. She did not originate the Red Cross idea, but she was the first person to establish a lasting Red Cross Society in America. She successfully organized the American Association of the Red Cross in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 1881. Created to serve America in peace and in war, during times of disaster and national calamity, Barton's organization took its service beyond that of the International Red Cross Movement by adding disaster relief to battlefield assistance. She served as the organization's volunteer president until 1904.

U.S. Ratification of the Geneva Convention (1882)
The U.S. Congress ratified the Geneva Convention in (1882), which gave the American Red Cross an official basis for inclusion in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Following years of extensive lobbying by Clara Barton and like-minded individuals, President James Garfield agreed that the 1864 Geneva Convention Treaty (Treaty of Geneva) should be signed. However, he was assassinated before he could sign the document.

On March 1, 1882, President Chester A. Arthur signed the treaty. The Senate ratified it on March 16, 1882. The United States was the 32nd nation to sign the document, agreeing to protect the wounded during wartime. The American Association of the Red Cross was officially recognized. In 1893, the organization was legally renamed the American National Red Cross. In 1978, aside from legal documents, the organization was to be called the American Red Cross to dispel the notion that the national headquarters and chapters were separate entities.