Josephine Beatrice Bowman
J. Beatrice Bowman | |
---|---|
Born | Des Moines, Iowa, US | December 19, 1881
Died | January 3, 1971 | (aged 89)
Buried | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | United States Navy |
Years of service | 1908– 1935 |
Rank | LCDR |
Commands held | Superintendent of the United States Navy Nurse Corps |
Battles/wars | World War I |
Josephine Beatrice Bowman was the third superintendent of the United States Navy Nurse Corps.
Early life
Josephine Beatrice Bowman was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on 19 December 1881. She graduated from nurses' training at the Medico-Chirurgical Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1904 and soon enrolled with the American Red Cross Nursing Service. In the spring of 1908, Bowman took part in the first Red Cross disaster relief operation after a tornado caused extensive damage around Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
On 3 October 1908, Bowman joined the newly established U.S. Navy Nurse Corps as one of its first twenty members (the "Sacred Twenty"). She was promoted to Chief Nurse in 1911.
Chief Nurse Bowman temporarily left the Navy in October 1914 and spent the next several months as a Red Cross nurse caring for war casualties in
In 1919, Chief Nurse Bowman led the first contingent of Navy nurses assigned to the hospital ship USS Relief (AH-1), the first Navy women to serve at sea. She became superintendent of the Navy Nurse Corps in December 1922 and held that position for over twelve years, until her retirement at the beginning of 1935.
Contributions as superintendent
As superintendent, Bowman worked hard to recruit nurses for the Navy Nurse Corps and to improve the pay benefits and uniforms for the nurses. She advocated for military status and encouraged postgraduate education. Inspections were increased for the purpose of establishing uniform standards across all naval hospitals.
Later life
Following her departure from active duty, she made her home in Pennsylvania and stayed active in national and local nursing affairs. When Navy nurses were included in the Navy's ranking system, she received the retirement rank of lieutenant commander in recognition of her service as Nurse Corps' superintendent. Bowman died on 3 January 1971 in Pennsylvania and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.[1]
References
Further reading
- Sterner, Doris M. (1997). In and Out of Harm's Way: A history of the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps. ISBN 0-89716-706-6.
- Godson, Susan H. (2001). Serving Proudly: A history of Women in the U.S. Navy. ISBN 1-55750-317-6.
External links
- Works by or about Josephine Beatrice Bowman at Internet Archive
- Nurses and the U.S. Navy --Overview and Special Image Selection Naval Historical Center
- J. Beatrice Bowman Naval Historical Center