A resolution honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Mary Edwards Walker.
This is a Senate resolution (S. Res. 130) that honors the life and legacy of Dr. Mary Edwards Walker. It recounts her pioneering role as a physician during the Civil War—serving as an unpaid volunteer surgeon before she could officially join the Army, caring for soldiers near the front lines, and becoming the first female Army surgeon as an assistant with the Ohio 52nd Infantry. The resolution also notes her work at the Louisville Women’s Prison Hospital and an orphan asylum, her Medal of Honor awarded in 1865, and her lifelong advocacy for women’s rights, dress reform, and suffrage. The main purpose is ceremonial: to recognize her contributions and commit to keeping her story alive for future generations, so it can inspire continued pursuit of justice and equality. It does not create new law or funding.
Key Points
- 1Recognizes Dr. Mary Edwards Walker as a trailblazer in medicine and a champion for women’s rights.
- 2Documents her Civil War service, including working as an unpaid volunteer surgeon at the Patent Office Hospital and treating wounded soldiers near front lines.
- 3Notes her role as the first female Army surgeon, serving as assistant surgeon of the Ohio 52nd Infantry, and her care across battle lines.
- 4Acknowledges her service at the Louisville Women’s Prison Hospital and at an orphan asylum in Clarksville, Tennessee.
- 5States that she was awarded the Medal of Honor for Meritorious Service by President Andrew Johnson and commits to remembering her story for future generations to inspire justice and equality.