Harriet B. Jones
Encyclopedia
Dr. Harriet B. Jones was the first woman to be licensed as a physician
in West Virginia
in 1885 and the first woman to be elected to its House of Delegates
in 1924.
Harriet B. Jones was born in Edensburg, Pennsylvania. In 1862, when she was just 6 years old, her parents John P. Jones and Hanna Rodgers Jones moved the family to Cranberry Summit, now Terra Alta, West Virginia
. Her public-spirited father, a general merchandiser, was active in the Presbyterian
church and Republican
politics, serving three terms in the state legislature.
Harriet Jones attended Wheeling Female College in West Virginia and graduated with honors from Woman's Medical College of Baltimore, Maryland
in 1884. Dr. Jones decided to pursue post-graduate training in gynecology and abdominal surgery
in New York
, Philadelphia
, and Chicago before returning to Wheeling, West Virginia
in 1886 to set up a private practice. She became the first woman doctor licensed in the state. Two years later, the board of West Virginia Hospital for the Insane in Weston, later renamed Weston State Hospital, elected her assistant superintendent. Building on her background in hospital administration, Dr. Jones returned to Wheeling in 1892 to establish a women's hospital that thrived for the next twenty years.
Women's rights
were of great interest to Dr. Jones. Her fight to have women admitted to the state's colleges and its only university was won in 1889. She also served as president of the state's Woman's Christian Temperance Union
. She was active in the West Virginia Equal Suffrage Association, from its beginnings in the 1890s until women were granted the right to vote in 1920. Dr. Jones then became a member of the League of Women Voters
. Combining her medical expertise and her civic interests, she lectured throughout the state on temperance, literature, and public health
issues. Her memberships included the West Virginia State Medical Association, the Ohio County Medical Society, and the American Medical Association
. Dr. Jones also lobbied to establish state sanitariums for tuberculosis
treatment and was executive secretary of the West Virginia Tuberculosis Association for ten years.
Dr. Jones's interest in the welfare of homeless
girls moved her to lobby tirelessly for six years to enact a bill on their behalf. In 1897 the West Virginia legislature passed an act establishing the West Virginia Children's Home at Elkins, as well as a state reformatory, the West Virginia Industrial Home for Girls.
Once women had the right to vote, Dr. Jones became active in politics. She was the first woman to serve in the West Virginia House of Delegates
. She won the 1924 election as a Republican from Marshall County
and was later re-elected to a second term. Before her death in 1943, Dr. Harriet Jones authored several pamphlets, including "What You Should Know About the Government of West Virginia," "Parliamentary Laws," and "How We Got Our English Bible
." She also wrote a history of women's suffrage in the state of West Virginia.
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
in West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
in 1885 and the first woman to be elected to its House of Delegates
West Virginia House of Delegates
The West Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the West Virginia Legislature. Only three states—Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia—refer to their lower house as the House of Delegates.-Historical:-Current:-District organization:...
in 1924.
Harriet B. Jones was born in Edensburg, Pennsylvania. In 1862, when she was just 6 years old, her parents John P. Jones and Hanna Rodgers Jones moved the family to Cranberry Summit, now Terra Alta, West Virginia
Terra Alta, West Virginia
Terra Alta is a town in Preston County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 1,456 at the 2000 census.-History:The James S. Lakin House and Terra Alta Bank are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.-Geography:...
. Her public-spirited father, a general merchandiser, was active in the Presbyterian
Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
church and Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politics, serving three terms in the state legislature.
Harriet Jones attended Wheeling Female College in West Virginia and graduated with honors from Woman's Medical College of Baltimore, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
in 1884. Dr. Jones decided to pursue post-graduate training in gynecology and abdominal surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, and Chicago before returning to Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
in 1886 to set up a private practice. She became the first woman doctor licensed in the state. Two years later, the board of West Virginia Hospital for the Insane in Weston, later renamed Weston State Hospital, elected her assistant superintendent. Building on her background in hospital administration, Dr. Jones returned to Wheeling in 1892 to establish a women's hospital that thrived for the next twenty years.
Women's rights
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
were of great interest to Dr. Jones. Her fight to have women admitted to the state's colleges and its only university was won in 1889. She also served as president of the state's Woman's Christian Temperance Union
Woman's Christian Temperance Union
The Woman's Christian Temperance Union was the first mass organization among women devoted to social reform with a program that "linked the religious and the secular through concerted and far-reaching reform strategies based on applied Christianity." Originally organized on December 23, 1873, in...
. She was active in the West Virginia Equal Suffrage Association, from its beginnings in the 1890s until women were granted the right to vote in 1920. Dr. Jones then became a member of the League of Women Voters
League of Women Voters
The League of Women Voters is an American political organization founded in 1920 by Carrie Chapman Catt during the last meeting of the National American Woman Suffrage Association approximately six months before the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution gave women the right to vote...
. Combining her medical expertise and her civic interests, she lectured throughout the state on temperance, literature, and public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
issues. Her memberships included the West Virginia State Medical Association, the Ohio County Medical Society, and the American Medical Association
American Medical Association
The American Medical Association , founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of medical doctors and medical students in the United States.-Scope and operations:...
. Dr. Jones also lobbied to establish state sanitariums for tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
treatment and was executive secretary of the West Virginia Tuberculosis Association for ten years.
Dr. Jones's interest in the welfare of homeless
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
girls moved her to lobby tirelessly for six years to enact a bill on their behalf. In 1897 the West Virginia legislature passed an act establishing the West Virginia Children's Home at Elkins, as well as a state reformatory, the West Virginia Industrial Home for Girls.
Once women had the right to vote, Dr. Jones became active in politics. She was the first woman to serve in the West Virginia House of Delegates
West Virginia House of Delegates
The West Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the West Virginia Legislature. Only three states—Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia—refer to their lower house as the House of Delegates.-Historical:-Current:-District organization:...
. She won the 1924 election as a Republican from Marshall County
Marshall County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 35,519 people, 14,207 households, and 10,101 families residing in the county. The population density was 116 people per square mile . There were 15,814 housing units at an average density of 52 per square mile...
and was later re-elected to a second term. Before her death in 1943, Dr. Harriet Jones authored several pamphlets, including "What You Should Know About the Government of West Virginia," "Parliamentary Laws," and "How We Got Our English Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
." She also wrote a history of women's suffrage in the state of West Virginia.