Lillian D. Wald

(1867–1940) Born to an affluent family in Cincinnati, OH and raised in Rochester, NY, Lillian was afforded many educational opportunities. Instead of marrying and continuing her comfortable lifestyle, she moved to New York City and entered the New York Hospital School of Nursing. Along with her colleague, Mary Brewster, she opened the Nurse's Settlement House on Henry Street in 1895—the start of public health nursing—offering sliding scale for payment to ensure everyone could access medical treatment.

Lillian also supported the suffrage movement. She campaigned for the 1915 state referendum and was named an honorary chair of the New York State Women's Suffrage Party. A pacifist, Lillian encouraged President Wilson to mediate rather than enter World War I. She continued to support Democratic ideals and was a friend of Eleanor Roosevelt. Her last political campaign occurred in 1936 when she co chaired the Good Neighbor League. Lillian's work has had a lasting impact far beyond New York.