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

Marjory Stoneman Douglas, the “Guardian of the Glades,” led the charge to protect the Everglades and reveal their rich natural heritage to the rest of the world.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas

Environmental health advocate Catherine Coleman Flowers is determined to battle “America’s Dirty Secret”: unequal sewage and sanitation access for rural communities and people of color.

Catherine Coleman Flowers

Winona LaDuke, a Native American activist, economist, and author, has devoted her life to advocating for Indigenous control of their homelands, natural resources, and cultural practices.

Winona LaDuke

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Edna Lewis

Chef and cookbook author Edna Lewis taught the American public to appreciate southern meals in a new way.

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Leona Woods Libby

Physicist Leona Woods Marshall Libby was one of the women who helped to create the atomic weapon.

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Maria Guadalupe Evangelina de Lopez

An educator, translator, and clubwoman, Lopez helped win the vote for Californian women with her oratory and the writings she translated into Spanish.

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Suzan-Lori Parks

Though a high school teacher discouraged her from writing because of her poor spelling, Suzan-Lori Parks went on to become one of the most successful playwrights in the United States.

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Juliette Gordon Low

Known as the founder of the Girl Scouts, Juliette Gordon Low created the largest and most successful organisation for girls in the world.

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Autherine Lucy

Autherine Lucy was the first African American student to attend the University of Alabama

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Sybil Ludington

Sybil Ludington was just 16 years old when she made a night-time ride rallying Patriot soldiers.

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Dolley Madison

Dolley Madison, the fourth First Lady of the United States, is widely remembered as the most lively of the early First Ladies.

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Mary Eliza Mahoney

Mary Eliza Mahoney pursued a nursing career which supported these aims. She is noted for becoming the first African American licensed nurse.

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Wilma Mankiller

Wilma Mankiller is often remembered as the first Principle Chief of the Cherokee Nation but her life was filled with activism from the beginning.

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Ruth Hanna McCormick

Ruth Hanna McCormick Simms was a Republican United States Representative from Illinois who served from 1929 to 1931.

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Patsy Mink

Patsy Mink was the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and the first Asian-American woman to serve in Congress.

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Gabriela Mistral

Chilean author and educator Gabriela Mistral became the first Latin American author to receive the Nobel Prize in literature.

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Maria Mitchell

Maria Mitchell was the first female astronomer in the United States and the first American scientist to discover a comet.

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Janet Mock

Janet Mock became the first transgender woman of color to write and direct an episode of television.

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Charlotte Edith Anderson Monture

Canadian Charlotte Monture moved to the US for nursing training and served in the US Army during World War I.

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Rita Moreno

Rita Moreno became the first Latina woman to earn an “E.G.O.T.:” an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.

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Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison is one of the most celebrated authors in the world.

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Lucretia Mott

Lucretia Mott argued as ardently for women’s rights as for black rights, including suffrage, education, and economic aid.

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Judith Sargent Murray

A prominent essayist of the American republic, Judith Sargent Murray was an early advocate of women’s equality, access to education, and the right to control their earnings.