Mary Barney Baughman (September 4, 1874 – March 30, 1956) was an American physician, medical school professor, and clubwoman based in Richmond, Virginia.
Mary Baughman | |
|---|---|
 Mary Baughman, from a 1924 yearbook | |
| Born | Mary Barney Baughman September 4, 1874 Richmond, Virginia |
| Died | March 30, 1956 (aged 81) Richmond, Virginia |
| Occupation(s) | Physician, medical college professor, clubwoman |
Early life and education
editBaughman was born in Richmond, one of the eight children of Emilius Allen Baughman and Mary Nelson Barney Baughman.[1] Her father ran a publishing company and stationery business, Baughman Bros., and was a Confederate States Army veteran of the American Civil War.[2]
Baughman studied art in Paris as a young woman, then biology and gymnastics in Boston, and she worked with Charles Davenport at Cold Springs Harbor Laboratory.[3] In 1918, at age 44, she enrolled in the Medical College of Virginia, in the first group of women students admitted for medical training.[4] She was a founding member and president of the college's chapter of Alpha Epsilon Iota.[5]
Career
editBefore medical school, Baughman taught art and gymnastics in Richmond schools.[3] In 1923 Baughman joined the Medical College of Virginia faculty, the school's first female instructor.[4] She also had a private general practice in Richmond from 1922 to 1952, and was considered the first doctor in town to provide birth control counseling.[6] She opposed abortion, "not concerned so much with the moral aspect of the practice as with its injury to women".[7] She spoke in support of eugenic approaches to crime prevention at a 1936 conference in Washington, D.C.[8] She spoke to school and community groups about public health topics including birth control,[9] "race betterment",[10] and the early diagnosis of tuberculosis.[11]
Baughman was an active clubwoman in Virginia, president of the Richmond chapter of the Business and Professional Women's Club.[12] During World War II, she helped lead the Richmond Defense Service Unit's information service, organized to provide reliable referrals for servicemen seeking lodgings or other assistance.[6] She was known to drive soldiers to their hosts' homes, or host them herself, if other arrangements failed. "If a soldier has no place to go, it isn't Dr. Mary Baughman's fault", according to a 1942 newspaper report.[13]
Personal life
editBaughman enjoyed driving as a pastime. In 1926, she drove alone touring the American West and Pacific Coast, logging over 10,000 miles.[14] She died in 1956, aged 81 years, in Richmond.[6]
References
edit- ^ "Baughman Funeral Will Be Held Today". The Times Dispatch. 1936-07-25. p. 14. Retrieved 2021-03-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "A Guide to the Baughman Family Papers, 1837-1968, Ms2018-031". Special Collections, Virginia Tech. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
- ^ a b "Richmond Woman to Give Lecture at Club Meeting". Daily Press. 1936-03-05. p. 9. Retrieved 2021-03-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "100 Years: Women Continue to Excel on the MCV Campus After More than a Century Studying Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy". MCV Foundation. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
- ^ "National Fraternity for Medical Women". Virginia Medical Monthly. 61: 122. May 1935 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b c "Pioneer Woman Physician, Dr. Baughman, Dies Here". The Times Dispatch. 1956-03-31. p. 26. Retrieved 2021-03-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gilmour, Austin (1937-03-07). "Experts Disagree on Extent of Abortions in Virginia". The Times Dispatch. p. 8. Retrieved 2021-03-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Proceedings of the Attorney General's Conference on Crime Held December 10-13, 1934, in Memorial Continental Hall, Washington, D.C. Printed under the supervision of the Bureau of Prisons, Department of Justice. 1936. p. 293.
- ^ "Local Clubwomen to Hear Address by Dr. Baughman". Daily Press. 1936-03-24. p. 9. Retrieved 2021-03-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Dr. Baughman Speaks on Race Betterment". The Rotunda. October 25, 1933. p. 1. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "Dr. Baughman to Speak". The Times Dispatch. 1931-04-21. p. 6. Retrieved 2021-03-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Prominent in Business Women's Week". The Times Dispatch. 1931-03-08. p. 38. Retrieved 2021-03-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Trimmer, Lillian Franklin (1942-11-08). "Soldier's Best Friend". The Times Dispatch. p. 38. Retrieved 2021-03-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Long Auto Tour Completed by Henrico County Woman". The Times Dispatch. 1926-10-03. p. 11. Retrieved 2021-03-27 – via Newspapers.com.
