Biographies generously sponsored by Susan D. Whiting.

Biographies

Women have always played an active role in history. Explore some of the historical pioneers and contemporary newsmakers that continue to impact the world. New biographies are added regularly, so check back to discover new stories!

Featured Biographies

Adelina Otero-Warren, the first Hispanic woman to run for U.S. Congress and the first female superintendent of public schools in Santa Fe, was a leader in New Mexico’s woman’s suffrage movement.

Adelina Otero-Warren

Ana Roqué de Duprey, a prolific educator, writer, and scientist, founded the first woman’s suffrage organization in Puerto Rico in 1917.

Ana Roqué de Duprey

According to Antonia Hernández, she “went to law school for one reason: to use the law as a vehicle for social change.” Decades later, she can claim numerous legal victories for the Latinx community in voting rights, employment, and education.

Antonia Hernández

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Prudence Crandall

Prudence Crandall bravely defied prevailing patterns of racial discrimination when she opened one of the first schools for African American girls in Connecticut in 1833.

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Ann Pamela Cunningham

Ann Pamela Cunningham was an early leader in historic preservation and is often credited with saving President George Washington’s estate Mount Vernon.

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Lydia Darragh

Lydia Darragh was a Patriot spy during the American Revolution.

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Jane Arminda Delano

Jane Delano was the superintendent of the Army Nurse Corps and inspired many women to become nurses around the world.

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Marlene Dietrich

Marie Dietrich was one of the most popular film and music stars of the 1930s and 1940s.

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Dorothea Dix

Dorothea Dix was an early 19th century activist who drastically changed the medical field during her lifetime.

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Ava DuVernay

Although she did not pick up a camera until she was thirty-two, Ava DuVernay has made history as a writer, director, and producer.

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Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart was a record-breaking female aviator whose international fame paved the way for other female pilots.

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Charity Adams Earley

Educator, soldier, and psychologist, Charity Adams Earley led the first African American women’s unit of the army on a tour of duty overseas during WWII.

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Mary Baker Eddy

Mary Baker Eddy founded a popular religious movement during the 19th century, Christian Science.

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Anne Frank

Anne Frank’s writing in her diary became one of the most recognized accounts of life for a Jewish family in Europe during World War II.

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Elizabeth Freeman

Elizabeth Freeman became the first African American woman to successfully file a lawsuit for freedom in the state of Massachusetts.

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Betty Friedan

Journalist, activist, and co-founder of the National Organization for Women, Betty Friedan was one of the early leaders of the women’s rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s.

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Grace Frysinger

Teacher, lecturer, and author, Grace Frysinger supported rural communities throughout her career.

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Melinda Gates

As co-chair of the world’s largest private charitable foundation, Melinda Gates is one of the most powerful women in philanthropy.

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Sarah Moore Grimké

Sarah Grimké and her sister fought for abolition and women's rights.

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Angelina Grimké Weld

Although raised on a slave-owning plantation, Angelina Grimké Weld became an ardent abolitionist.

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Sarah Josepha Hale

Sarah Josepha Hale is best known for creating the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” Her influence can also be seen in historic sites and a national holiday still widely celebrated today.

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Florence Hall

Florence Hall headed the Women's Land Army during World War II.

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Fannie Lou Hamer

Fannie Lou Hamer was one of the most important, passionate, and powerful voices of the civil and voting rights movements .