author
Clara Barton
1821–1912
Best known for founding the American Red Cross, this fearless nurse and organizer brought aid to wounded soldiers during the Civil War and helped reshape disaster relief in the United States. Her life story is full of grit, compassion, and practical courage.
3 Audiobooks
A Story of the Red Cross; Glimpses of Field Work
by Clara Barton
The Red Cross in Peace and War
by Clara Barton
The story of my childhood
by Clara Barton
About the author
Born in Oxford, Massachusetts, on December 25, 1821, Clara Barton began her working life as a teacher and later worked in the U.S. Patent Office, one of the few women in the federal government at the time. During the Civil War, she became famous for delivering supplies and caring for wounded soldiers near the front, earning the nickname "Angel of the Battlefield."
After the war, Barton traveled in Europe, where she learned about the International Red Cross. She returned to the United States determined to create a similar organization, and in 1881 she founded the American Red Cross. She also pushed the group to respond not only to war but to natural disasters, expanding what relief work could mean in American life.
Barton served as the first president of the American Red Cross and remained a powerful public figure for years. She died on April 12, 1912, in Glen Echo, Maryland, leaving behind a legacy of hands-on service and determined leadership that still shapes humanitarian work today.