L. Anna Ballard

L. Anna Ballard (July 21, 1848 – 1934) was an American physician. After graduating from medical school, Ballard became Lansing, Michigan's first female medical physician. She also worked to change the age of consent from 10 to 14 years in Michigan. In 2012, she was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.

L. Anna Ballard

Early life and education

Ballard was born in Michigan on July 21, 1848.[1] Ballard grew up with three other siblings, Henry, Sarah, and Alice.[2] After attended the Michigan Female College, she taught at Lansing Central High School for two years. In 1871, she became a clerk at a drug store in DeWitt,[3] before applying to the medical department at the University of Michigan in 1873.[4] After graduation, Ballard moved to Chicago where she worked under the supervision of Dr. Mary H. Thompson at the Chicago Hospital for Women and Children and studied at the Woman's Hospital Medical College of Chicago.[1]

Career

Upon earning her medical degree in 1878, Ballard returned home to open her own medical practice. In doing so, she became the first female medical physician in Lansing, Michigan.[5] She was also a founding member of the Lansing Medical Society in 1882,[1] and the Ingham County Medical Society.[6] In 1887, she worked to change the age of consent from 10 to 14 years in Michigan. She represented the state department of social purity and advocated that the age of consent should be raised as high as 18 years old.[7]

She was posthumously inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 2012.[8]

References
  1. Portrait and Biographical Album of Ingham and Livingston Counties, Michigan. Chapman Brothers. 1891. p. 678. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  2. "LANSING TOWhSHIP AND LANSING CITY" (PDF). bc.ingham.org. p. 582. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  3. "Women's History Month: Celebrating Lansing's pioneers". Lansing State Journal. March 10, 2017. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  4. "Alumnae of the Women's Medical College of Chicago 1859-1896" (PDF). memory.loc.gov. p. 100. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  5. "L. Anna Ballard". miwf.org. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  6. "Women's History Month: Celebrating Lansing's pioneers". Lansing State Journal. March 10, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  7. "Age of Consent". Milford Times. February 5, 1887. p. 6. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  8. "GOOD NEWS AUGUST 2012". cawlm.com. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.