Lucy Hobbs Taylor (1833-1910)
The first woman to receive her dentistry degree was Lucy Hobbs Taylor. She first wanted to become a doctor, and headed to Eclectic Medical College, which was the only school that accepted women at that time. When she arrived she found that the school had adopted a new policy not to accept women. She was told to apply to dentistry school, since there was less stress involved. She found a dentist in Ohio who taught her to pull teeth and make dentures. Even with this training, she was not admitted into dentistry school, because she was a woman. She apprenticed with other dentists without a degree, a common practice at that time. She opened her first office in Iowa, and eventually was admitted to the Iowa state Dental Association. Later, she was accepted into the Ohio College and graduated in 1866 with a degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery. She taught her husband dentistry and they started a practice together. She practiced dentistry until she died of a stroke in 1910.
- Article is excerpted from a NWHM Spring 2004 Newsletter
- PHOTO: New York State Senate