Born in Oxford, Massachusetts, Clara Barton became a schoolteacher in 1836. In 1854 she was appointed the first female government clerk, working in the Patent Office in Washington, D.C. During the Civil War, Barton provided first aid and distributed supplies to Union soldiers. She became known as the Angel of the Battlefield. In 1870 she joined the International Red Cross and provided aid during the Franco-Prussian War. In 1881 she founded the American Red Cross and served as its president until 1904.
