Lillian D. Wald was an American lady who began her work as a nurse before becoming a prominent humanitarian and social reformer for the less fortunate segment of society. She was instrumental in establishing Visiting Nurse Service and the Henry Street Settlement (New York). As a supporter of justice and equality, she helped individuals from all segments of society, regardless of their ethnicity or social status, thereby increasing their health and hygienic awareness. Her care for children and women was praiseworthy, as she worked to change child labor and the plight of women. During World War I, Lillian worked to promote world peace through her pacifism and political involvement. She actively advocated for women’s suffrage and racial integration. She was instrumental in establishing the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Childhood and early years
Lillian Wald was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on March 10, 1867, as the third child of Max D. and Minnie Schwartz Wald.
Her father, from a middle-class German-Jewish family of professors and merchants, was an optical dealer, while her mother had Jewish Polish and Jewish German background.
During Lillian’s early childhood (1878), the Wald family relocated to Rochester, New York, and Lillian’s hometown became Rochester.
Lillian, who came from a financially stable household, attended Miss Cruttenden’s English-French Boarding and Day School for Young Ladies, where she received training in French and German.
In 1883, at the age of sixteen, Lillian applied to Vassar College but was rejected owing to age restrictions. She then spent the subsequent years traveling and working as a reporter for a newspaper.
In August 1889, at the age of twenty-two, she enrolled in a nursing program at New York Hospital.
In the same year, she met a nurse at Bellevue Hospital in New York City who inspired her to become a nurse.
Lillian Wald’s Career
Lillian graduated in March 1891 under the guidance of Irene H. Sutliffe, the program’s director of nursing; she then served at the juvenile asylum for a year before resuming her studies at the Woman’s Medical College for her M.D.
During her studies at the medical college, she instructed people in the eastern area of New York on in-home nursing.
When a young girl pleaded for aid for her ailing mother, she learned the plight of the immigrants in this region. She was confronted with the realities of the destitute and ill, and she described the experience as a “baptism by fire.”
In 1893, she abandoned her education and moved with her companion Mary Brewster to the impoverished section of New York City on Jefferson Street in response to the deplorable living circumstances and lack of medical assistance.
They established the ‘Visiting Nurse Service’ in 1893 and subsequently moved its headquarters to Henry Street in 1895. The team grew from nine trained nurses in 1893 to fifteen in 1900 and thirty-seven in 1927.
In 1913, the Henry settlement comprised nine residences, seven vacation houses, three stock rooms, clinics, and a club membership of around three thousand individuals. One hundred nurses provided services through the Nurses’ Settlement in 1914.
In addition to health care, the Henry Street Settlement also provided accommodation, basic education, language, and music classes, as well as employment opportunities.
In 1915, she also established recreational amenities by constructing the largest playground on the Eastern side of New York and the Henry Street Neighborhood Playhouse.
Jacob Schiff (from a wealthy and influential family of New York financiers) financed a home on Henry Street for Lillian’s nursing staff after observing her generosity.
As a non-discriminatory full-time service provider in close proximity to the needy, the Henry Street Settlement had an edge over other settlements, whereas other denominational groups focused solely on the needs of their members and relied solely on on, part-time volunteers.
Wald’s contributions to international peace were equally commendable. As the leader of the American Union against Militarism (AUAM) and a pacifist, she focused on fostering diplomatic relations with Mexico instead of waging war.
Through ‘The women’s Peace Party’ and ‘Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom,’ she protested the United States’ participation in World War I.
Awards & Achievements
Lillian created the term “public health nurse” (inspired by her methods of caring for the poor); as a result, the New York Board of Health established the first public nursing system in the world.
She initiated the national health insurance program.
Wald assisted in the foundation of the Women Trade Union League in 1903. Lillian Wald was the chairperson of the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC). It emphasized the importance of education and opposed child labor.
She also advocated the New York City Board of Instruction for the necessity of school meal programs and education for physically handicapped children.
Lillian Wald founded the Columbia University School of Nursing and the Federal Children’s Bureau in 1912. She subsequently formed the Town and Country Nursing Service of the American Red Cross.
Lillian Wald was also a civil rights activist who strove to promote racial equality. She established the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) (NAACP)
The Gold Medal of the National Institute of Social Sciences (1912), the Rotary Club Medal, and the Better Times Medal were awarded to Lillian.
The New York Times ranked Lillian Wald as one of the twelve best living American women in 1922.
She was awarded the Lincoln Medallion for her meritorious efforts in New York.
She was inducted into the “Hall of Fame for Great Americans” in 1970. As a sign of respect and gratitude, the Lillian Wald Houses on Avenue D in Manhattan was named in her honor.
Personal History and Legacy
Lillian’s upbringing was largely spent with her grandfather, Gutman Schwartz, who had a profound impact on her.
Lillian remained single throughout her whole life due to her devotion to the Henry Street Settlement. Two of her female pals, however, held a special place in her heart: author Mabel Hyde Kittredge and attorney Helen Arthur.
By 1933, Lillian was unable to continue working at the Henry Street Settlement due to her declining health, which began in 1925.
In 1937, Lillian relocated to Westport, Connecticut, and resigned as head of the Henry Street Settlement board.
She died of a brain hemorrhage in her Connecticut home on September 1, 1940, and was cremated in a family plot near Rochester, New York.
On Lillian’s 70th birthday, President Franklin D. Roosevelt presented her with a radio reading of a letter commending her for her altruistic and humanitarian efforts on behalf of social welfare.
Estimated Net Worth
Lillian is one of the wealthiest and most well-known doctors. According to our research, Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider, Lillian Wald has an estimated net worth of $1.5 million.