About Mary Eliza Mahoney
This organization is named in honor of the pioneering African American nurse Mary Eliza
Mahoney. Graduating from the New England Hospital for Women and Children in Boston, MA
in 1879, Mary was the first colored graduate nurse in the United States. For more than 40 years,
Mary devoted her life to professional nursing, delivering services to patients in the home, clinics
and hospitals, and promoting organizational development for nurses. Her life and legacy are
celebrated by members of this and other professional nursing organizations and by numerous
awards named in her honor.
Our Founding
Mary Mahoney Professional Nurses Organization was first established as the Mary Mahoney
Registered Nurse Club in 1949. Anne Foy Baker invited 12 other registered nurses to a meeting
in her home to meet one another and discuss the idea of establishing a professional organization.
Under her leadership, the organization was created with a two-fold mission: to provide
information and support to one another, and to provide scholarship support to students pursuing
education and careers in nursing.