Jane Delano

Born this day in 1862: Jane A. Delano (1862–1919), founder of the American Red Cross Nursing Service

Delano, an educator and administrator of formidable skills, made her greatest contribution by transforming the Red Cross Nursing Service into a reserve for the Army Nurses Corps. Through her efforts, 8,000 well-trained, professional nurses were available for mobilization at the outset of World War I. In addition, Delano mobilized an additional 20,000 nurses and other aid workers to serve the war effort overseas. She also served as the director of the Red Cross’s Department of Nursing, overseeing efforts to cope with the influenza epidemic of 1918. She died during wartime service and was posthumously awarded distinguished service medals from the Red Cross and the U.S. Army. She was inducted into the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame in 1982.

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