Elizabeth Leonhardt
Elizabeth Leonhardt | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 7, 1867 Virginia |
| Died | February 19, 1953 Herndon, Virginia |
| Buried | Chestnut Grove Cemetery; Herndon, Virginia |
| Allegiance | American |
| Service/ | United States Navy Nurse Corps |
| Years of service | 1919-1926 |
| Rank | Chief Nurse |
Elizabeth Leonhardt (1867–1953) was one of the Sacred Twenty, the first 20 nurses in the United States Navy Nurse Corps during World War I. She was the Chief Nurse of the US Navy Nurse Corps in 1919.[1]
Early life
Elizabeth Leonhardt was born on December 7, 1867, in Virginia and grew up in Herndon.[2] She was the sixth of nine children born to Jacob and Mary Leonhardt. Although on her birth certificate it reads, "Elizabeth," the name on her gravestone is, "Elisabeth."
Sacred Twenty
On April 26, 1911, Leonhardt arrived at the Susana Hospital in
Chamorro women in nursing so that they would replace inefficient midwives, who were the only nurses available in Guam at the time. They established a successful training school, where Leonhardt was able to teach the women some English. Though most of the communication was through sign language. In 1914, the surgeon general raised the number of nurses in Guam in order to increase class size and "to expand training to include tubercular cases and massage therapy." Leonhardt would remain Chief Nurse in Guam until 1914.[3]
In 1919, Leonhardt held the title of Chief Nurse, USN. She was assigned to the Naval Hospital in
Puget Sound, Washington. Here, Leonhardt assumed the position of Principal Chief Nurse and held this position through 1926.[4]
Leonhardt received a letter of commendation from the Navy in 1920.[5]
References
- ^ "Elizabeth Leonhardt". findagrave.com. 8 October 2007. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
- ^ Remembering Herndon's History: Elisabeth Leonhardt and the Navy's "Sacred Twenty" | Herndon, VA Patch Retrieved 2018-05-03.
- ISBN 1-55750-317-6.
- ^ "Papers of Elisabeth Leonhardt". history.navy.mil. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
- ISBN 1-55750-317-6.
External links
- The "Sacred Twenty": The Navy's First Nurses Archived 2015-06-26 at the Wayback Machine