5 Women Honored by U.S. Mint

Dr. Mary Edwards Walker

Walker is the first — and only — woman in U.S. history to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. She was awarded the medal in 1865 for her work during the Civil War. The honor was rescinded in 1917 due to a reassessment of eligibility requirements, only to be reinstated in 1977. Walker was the first female surgeon of the U.S. Army during the Civil War, an abolitionist and a great defender of women’s rights. In order to treat the wounded, she was not afraid of crossing battle lines. Walker was captured by Confederate troops, accused of espionage and imprisoned for four months. She was born in 1832 in Oswego, New York, and died there in 1919.

Pauli Murray, seen here in 1970, was the first African American woman to be ordained an Episcopal priest.​

Courtesy PA

Pauli Murray

A poet, activist and lawyer, Murray graduated first in her class at Howard University School of Law, where she was the only woman. She was the first African American woman to receive a Doctor of Juridical Science degree from Yale Law School and the first African American woman to be ordained as an Episcopal priest. Along with Betty Friedan and other activists, she cofounded the National Organization for Women (NOW). She later abandoned the group, disillusioned by the organization’s disregard for racial injustice. Anna Pauline Murray was born in 1910 in Baltimore and, after the death of her parents, was raised in North Carolina and New York. After graduating from Hunter College in 1928, Murray shortened her name to Pauli to reflect a more androgynous identity. She died of cancer in 1985.

Zitkala-Ša fought for the preservation of the cultures of the country’s Indigenous nations.​

SCIENCE HISTORY IMAGES/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

Zitkala-Ša

Also known as Gertrude Simmons Bonnin, Zitkala-Ša, which in Lakota means “red bird,” became interested in education and fought hard for the preservation of the cultures of the country’s Indigenous nations. She was an educator, composer and writer, as well as an activist for the rights of Native people. She was born in 1876 on the Yankton reservation in South Dakota and left home at 8 to attend a boarding school run by European missionaries. At school, Native American traditions were forbidden, something that marked the course of her life. Until her death in 1938, Zitkala-Ša did not hesitate in her efforts to improve education, access to health care and civil rights for Indigenous people. She died in Washington, D.C., and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with her husband, a U.S. Army captain and activist. Her tombstone reads: “His wife / Gertrude Simmons Bonnin / Zitkala-Ša of the Sioux Indians /1876–1938.”

Editor's note: This article was originally published on March 24, 2023. It has been updated to reflect new information.