Lillian Wald

Born in Cincinnati to German Jewish immigrants, Lillian Wald grew up in Rochester, New York, and received her nursing degree in 1891. Although she subsequently enrolled in medical school, she abandoned her coursework after a couple of years to dedicate herself to a nursing career on New York City’s Lower East Side. In 1893, Wald and her colleague Mary Brewster founded a settlement house, which became known as the Henry Street Settlement after its move to Henry Street in 1895. There they provided health care and other social services to the neighborhood’s immigrant community. With the support of the philanthropist Jacob Schiff and others, Wald helped the Henry Street Settlement grow into an influential institution, shaping New York City’s public health and social service systems. In 1902, Wald initiated the first nursing program in a public school in the United States. She also helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909 and worked with women’s suffrage and pacifist groups during World War I.