Mrs. Kate Wallert Barrett, Co-Founder National Crittention Mission

Mrs. Kate Wallert Barrett, Co-Founder National Crittention Mission

Kate Barett understood that in order to achieve her goals, she’d need to be taken seriously, which is why she pursued a medical degree in order to the title that would hold people’s attention. With it, she co-founded the National Florence Crittenton Mission, which strove to provide aid and homes to prostitutes and unmarried mothers. She helped gain the first-ever federal charter for a charitable organization thanks to an act of Congress signed by President McKinley. As the homes expanded, Barett took notice that nearby maternity hospitals weren’t satisfactory, and so helped fund hospitals by her homes to better aid them. The homes joined with the Topeka Home, founded by Topeka Blacks, to provide the same aid for African-American women in similar situations. Her other donations and works included participation in the League of Women Voters, the Parent-Teacher Association, and the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Bain News Service

Unknown

A black and white photograph of Kate Waller Barrett, an activist, physician, and philanthropist.

Source Prater, T. (2012, September 13). Kate Waller Barrett (1858–1925). Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved November 1, 2012, from http://bit.ly/bGHpaF

Link: Library of Congress

Library of Congress

Library of Congress

Bain News Service

Medium: Photograph

English

Figures

Philanthropy

Historic