The American Red Cross Nursing Service was founded by Jane Arminda Delano, who consolidated the resources of the American Nurses Association and the Army Nurse Corps. Her administrative framework ensured that over 8,000 registered nurses were prepared for deployment by the time the United States entered World War I, ultimately expanding to include 20,000 personnel throughout the conflict.
Early Education and Professional Beginnings
Born in Montour Falls, New York, in 1862, Delano attended the local Cook Academy before pursuing formal medical training. She graduated from the Bellevue Hospital School of Nursing in New York City in 1886. Her career began in 1888 in Jacksonville, Florida, where she managed the care of patients during a yellow fever outbreak. She subsequently spent three years providing nursing services for typhoid patients at a copper mine in Bisbee, Arizona, before accepting the position of Superintendent of Nurses at University Hospital in Philadelphia.
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In 1902, Delano returned to Bellevue Hospital to serve as the director of its training school. By 1909, she assumed the role of Superintendent of the United States Army Nurse Corps. During this tenure, she also served as president of the American Nurses Association and chair of the National Committee of the Red Cross Nursing Service. She played a central role in organizing emergency disaster response teams and formalizing nursing education, including the 1913 publication of the American Red Cross Textbook on Elementary Hygiene and Home Care, written with Isabel McIsaac.
Mission in France and Legacy
In 1919, Delano traveled to France to represent the American Red Cross at an international conference of health experts held in Cannes. While on this mission, she died at Base Hospital No. 8 in Savenay. Posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by the Secretary of the Army, her remains were returned to the United States and interred at Arlington National Cemetery. A bronze memorial stands at the site, honoring her work and the 296 nurses who died during the First World War.
Fast facts
- Born: 1862, Montour Falls, New York
- Died: 1919, Savenay, France
- Education: Bellevue Hospital School of Nursing, 1886
- Major Role: Superintendent of the United States Army Nurse Corps
- Burial Site: Arlington National Cemetery
- Published Work: American Red Cross Textbook on Elementary Hygiene and Home Care
Questions readers ask
What was Jane Delano's primary contribution to nursing?
She founded the American Red Cross Nursing Service, integrating the efforts of the American Nurses Association and the Army Nurse Corps to create a standardized emergency nursing reserve.
Where is Jane Delano buried?
She is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, where a bronze memorial commemorates her life and the nurses who died during World War I.
Achievements
- Fields: pedagogy and nursing
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