Walker, Mary E.

Born: 1832-11-26 Oswego, New York

Died: 1919-02-21 Oswego, New York

The Walker family moved from Syracuse, New York to Oswego in 1832, and three months later Mary E. Walker was born. Her father Alvah, an abolitionist, became a self-taught country doctor, and the family farm served as a stop along the Underground Railroad. The Walker household encouraged free thinking and egalitarianism, concepts that permeated Mary's life. She received enough education by 1852 to teach school at a small village near her home. However, perhaps inspired by her father's profession, Mary determined to become a doctor. In December 1853, Mary Walker was admitted to the Syracuse Medical College. There she studied pathology, obstetrics and diseases of women and children, pharmacy, anatomy, physiology, principles of surgery, medical law, and more. She completed her studies in 1855 as the only woman in her graduating class. She began her career practicing medicine in Ohio and New York and facing the common prejudice against female physicians. It did not help that Mary eschewed traditional female dress for more practical and comfortable garb. Women's rights became a lifelong passion for her.

Mary married Albert Miller in 1856, retaining her maiden name and sometimes using Miller Walker. The marriage did not last, and divorce proceedings started in March 1861 on grounds of Miller's adultery. In addition to her medical career, Mary cultivated a writing and oratory career, mainly focused on social ills: the evils of alcohol and tobacco, immorality, war, and diet are a few examples. She also advocated radically forward medical ideas, pushing back against the practices of bleeding, blistering, and giving patients heavy doses of mercury.

When the Civil War began, Mary Walker was denied a position as a military doctor and began working at a temporary Washington hospital that treated wounded soldiers. She again attempted to secure a military position in November 1862 and was welcomed as a volunteer. In 1863, Mary met Abraham and Mary Lincoln in Washington. She continued as a civilian contract surgeon, caring for soldiers through the end of the war. Because Mary shocked and confounded soldiers and civilians alike as a female doctor dressed in masculine clothing, and she cared for patients at field hospitals, some believed her to be a spy. They were correct. While on a mission on April 10, 1864, Mary was captured by a Confederate sentry and spent four months in a prisoner of war camp. In 1865, she became the first and only woman to win the Medal of Honor for her service during the war.

New York Tribune (NY), 23 February 1919, 13:5; Dale L. Walker, Mary Edwards Walker: Above and Beyond (New York: Forge, 2005), 21-22, 29-30, 50-51, 55, 57-61, 64, 69-70, 91, 111, 124, 136, 139, 141; The Sugar Planter (Baton Rouge, LA), 5 January 1856, 2:6; The New York Herald (NY), 23 November 1865, 5:1; Gravestone, Rural Cemetery, Oswego, NY.