Mary Carson Breckinridge
| Mary Breckinridge | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | February 17, 1881 Memphis, Tennessee |
| Died | May 16, 1965 (aged 84) Hyden, Kentucky |
| Known for | Founding the Frontier Nursing Service |
| Medical career | |
| Profession | Nurse-midwife |
Mary Carson Breckinridge (February 17, 1881 – May 16, 1965) was an American nurse-midwife and the founder of the Frontier Nursing Service.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, into a prominent family, Breckinridge was a daughter of Arkansas Congressman, US Minister to Russia Clifton Rodes Breckinridge and a granddaughter of Vice President John C. Breckinridge. She was educated by private tutors in Washington, D.C., Switzerland and in St. Petersburg, Russia. She obtained a degree from St Lukes Hospital New York in Nursing in 1910 and advanced Midwife Training at a Hospital in London, England.
In 1894, Breckinridge and her family moved to Russia when President Grover Cleveland appointed her father to serve as the U.S. minister to that country. They returned to the United States in 1897.
Breckinridge's mother disapproved of her cousin Sophonisba Breckinridge's going to college and starting a career. She helped to ensure that her daughter followed a more traditional path. Breckinridge was married in 1904 to a lawyer, Henry Ruffner Morrison, of Hot Springs, Arkansas. He died only two years later; the couple had no children.
As a young widow, Breckinridge entered a nursing class at New York City's St. Luke's Hospital. She remained there three years, taking a degree in nursing in 1910 before returning to the South.
...
Wikipedia