Dorothea Dix (1802 – 1887) was an American social reformer, educator, and nurse, best known for her work improving conditions for the mentally ill. Through persistent advocacy, she helped establish the first generation of mental asylums in the U.S. and played a key role as Superintendent of Army Nurses during the Civil War.
Born in Maine, she grew up in Massachusetts in a troubled household. At 14, she began teaching, later opening a school for girls in Boston. In the 1830s, she traveled to Europe, where she met British reformers working on mental health initiatives. Inspired, she returned to America, launching a nationwide campaign to improve the treatment of mentally ill patients.
By 1841, she investigated asylums, jails, and almshouses, exposing horrific conditions. Her reports led to mental health reforms in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and beyond. In 1854, she proposed a bill to allocate federal land for mental health facilities, but President Franklin Pierce vetoed it.
During the Civil War, she recruited and trained over 3,000 nurses, improving wartime medical care. In her later years, she continued advocating for mental health reform until her death in 1887. Her legacy remains in hospitals, parks, and institutions named in her honor.