Mary Edwards Walker

Mary Edwards Walker
Walker with her Medal of Honor
Born	(1832-11-26)November 26, 1832 Oswego, New York, U.S.
Died	February 21, 1919(1919-02-21) (aged 86) Oswego, New York, U.S.
Resting place	Rural cemetery, Oswego
Nationality	American
Education	Falley Seminary (1850–1852) Syracuse Medical College (1853–1855) Hygeeia Therapeutic College (1862)
Occupation	Surgeon
Employer	United States Army
Known for	Receiving the Medal of Honor during the American Civil War, was the first female U.S. Army surgeon, feminist, prohibitionist, abolitionist, first and only female Medal of Honor recipient
Spouse(s)	Albert Miller
Awards	Medal of Honor

Mary Edwards Walker (November 26, 1832 – February 21, 1919) was an American feminist, abolitionist, prohibitionist prisoner of war and surgeon. As of 2017, she is the only woman ever to receive the Medal of Honor.

In 1855, she earned her medical degree at Syracuse Medical College in New York, married and started a medical practice. She volunteered with the Union Army at the outbreak of the American Civil War and served as a surgeon at a temporary hospital in Washington, DC, even though at the time women and sectarian physicians were considered unfit for the Union Army Examining Board. She was captured by Confederate forces after crossing enemy lines to treat wounded civilians and arrested as a spy. She was sent as a prisoner of war to Richmond, Virginia, until released in a prisoner exchange.

After the war, she was approved for the highest United States Armed Forces decoration for bravery, the Medal of Honor, for her efforts during the Civil War. She is the only woman to receive the medal and one of only eight civilians to receive it. Her name was deleted from the Army Medal of Honor Roll in 1917 (along with over 900 others); however it was restored in 1977. After the war, she was a writer and lecturer supporting the women's suffrage movement until her death in 1919.

Mary Edwards Walker was born in the Town of Oswego, New York, on November 26, 1832, the daughter of Alvah (father) and Vesta (mother) Walker. She was the youngest of seven children: she had five sisters and one brother. Alvah and Vesta raised both their son and their daughters in a progressive manner that was revolutionary for the time. Their nontraditional parenting nurtured Mary's spirit of independence and sense of justice that she actively demonstrated throughout her life. While they were devoted Christians, the Walkers were "free thinkers" who raised their children to question the regulations and restrictions of various denominations. The Walker parents also demonstrated non-traditional gender roles to their children regarding sharing work around the farm: Vesta often participated in heavy labor while Alvah took part in general household chores. Walker worked on her family farm as a child. She did not wear women's clothing during farm labor, because she considered it too restricting. Her mother reinforced her views that corsets and tight lacings were unhealthy.