1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:06,240 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:12,119 Speaker 1: Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, a 3 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:15,280 Speaker 1: show that shines a light on the overlooked heroes of 4 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:20,200 Speaker 1: everyday history. I'm Gay Bluesier, and today we're looking at 5 00:00:20,239 --> 00:00:24,200 Speaker 1: a lesson in persistence from doctor Lucy Hobbes Taylor, a 6 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:27,840 Speaker 1: trailblazing dentist who proved that women can pull teeth with 7 00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:40,839 Speaker 1: the best of them. The day was March fourteenth, eighteen 8 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:46,280 Speaker 1: thirty three American dentist and women's rights activist Lucy Hobbes 9 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:50,440 Speaker 1: Taylor was born. She later became the first woman in 10 00:00:50,479 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 1: the country and likely in the world, to earn a 11 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:57,160 Speaker 1: degree from dental school, opening doors for other women to 12 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:02,240 Speaker 1: join the profession. Lucy Beaman Hobbs Taylor was her married name. 13 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:05,560 Speaker 1: Was born in Constable, New York as the seventh of 14 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:09,480 Speaker 1: ten children. As you might imagine, her parents had trouble 15 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:12,319 Speaker 1: supporting such a large family, so when she was just 16 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:15,560 Speaker 1: twelve years old, Lucy took a job as a seamstress. 17 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 1: While still in high school. She balanced her responsibilities with 18 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:23,680 Speaker 1: a plum, earning her diploma in eighteen forty nine. Later 19 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:27,000 Speaker 1: that year, she moved to Brooklyn, Michigan and began working 20 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:29,800 Speaker 1: as a schoolteacher, a position she would hold for the 21 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:33,839 Speaker 1: next ten years. During that time, Lucy rented a room 22 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:37,160 Speaker 1: from a local physician and began gradually taking an interest 23 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:40,440 Speaker 1: in his work and in the financial freedom it afforded. 24 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:45,200 Speaker 1: With his encouragement, Lucy eventually decided to move to Cincinnati 25 00:01:45,319 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 1: in the hopes of attending the Eclectic Medical College. Unfortunately, 26 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:53,160 Speaker 1: the school refused to admit a woman to its program. 27 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:57,280 Speaker 1: The sexist policy was a major setback, as Lucy had 28 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:01,280 Speaker 1: uprooted her whole life in pursuit of her new dream. Thankfully, 29 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:04,960 Speaker 1: one of the teachers at the college, Professor Cleveland, recognized 30 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:08,799 Speaker 1: the unfairness of the school's policy as well as Lucy's potential. 31 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:12,519 Speaker 1: He began giving her private lessons and was quickly convinced 32 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:14,840 Speaker 1: she had both the mind and the stomach to be 33 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:18,440 Speaker 1: a good doctor. However, he also knew the era they 34 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:21,880 Speaker 1: were living in and that Lucy, despite her ability, wouldn't 35 00:02:21,919 --> 00:02:25,480 Speaker 1: be welcome in the field anytime soon. With that in mind, 36 00:02:25,639 --> 00:02:30,240 Speaker 1: he suggested she try to become a dentist instead. For Lucy, 37 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:33,640 Speaker 1: the main appeal of being a doctor was independence and 38 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:37,000 Speaker 1: the chance to use her brain. Becoming a dentist would 39 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:40,679 Speaker 1: still provide those advantages, and the barriers to entry would 40 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:43,800 Speaker 1: likely be less severe than those of a medical school. 41 00:02:44,440 --> 00:02:47,000 Speaker 1: Lucy figured it was worth a shot, so she took 42 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:49,880 Speaker 1: the professor's advice and applied to the Ohio College of 43 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:54,840 Speaker 1: Dental Surgery, the second dental school in the entire country. Sadly, 44 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:58,519 Speaker 1: Lucy was denied admission again because she was a woman, 45 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:01,720 Speaker 1: and once again and she had to settle for private 46 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:04,760 Speaker 1: lessons from a faculty member, the dean of the college, 47 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:09,040 Speaker 1: in this case, Professor Jonathan Taft. A little while later, 48 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:12,160 Speaker 1: she also apprenticed under a recent graduate of the school 49 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:17,160 Speaker 1: named doctor Samuel Wardle. Reflecting on that experience years later, 50 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:22,080 Speaker 1: Lucy wrote, quote, I commenced with doctor Samuel Wardle of Cincinnati, 51 00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:26,480 Speaker 1: finishing my studies in March eighteen sixty one. At that time, 52 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:29,560 Speaker 1: the faculty of the Ohio Dental College would not permit 53 00:03:29,639 --> 00:03:31,919 Speaker 1: me to attend, and there was not a college in 54 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:34,920 Speaker 1: the United States that would admit me, and no amount 55 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:38,440 Speaker 1: of persuasion could change their minds. So far as I know, 56 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:41,160 Speaker 1: I was the first woman in the field who had 57 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:45,320 Speaker 1: ever taken instruction of a private tutor. By now you 58 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 1: may be wondering what was the point of all that 59 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:50,560 Speaker 1: study if no school in the nation would ever grant 60 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:54,760 Speaker 1: her a degree. The fact is very few practicing dentists 61 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:58,000 Speaker 1: of the era actually had degrees. The ones who did 62 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 1: were able to charge more for their service and also 63 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:04,160 Speaker 1: had more legal protections for their practice. But in those days, 64 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:07,160 Speaker 1: working without a license was still the rule rather than 65 00:04:07,160 --> 00:04:11,160 Speaker 1: the exception. In the spring of eighteen sixty one, Lucy 66 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:14,520 Speaker 1: became a renegade dentist herself when she opened her own 67 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:18,840 Speaker 1: office right there in Cincinnati. It wasn't a prime location, though, 68 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:22,440 Speaker 1: since the college town had no shortage of licensed dentists. 69 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:26,279 Speaker 1: The following year, Lucy moved her practice to northern Iowa, 70 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:30,799 Speaker 1: where there was far less competition. Over the next three years, 71 00:04:30,839 --> 00:04:35,160 Speaker 1: her practice flourished, becoming profitable and earning her a sterling 72 00:04:35,200 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 1: reputation as well. In fact, she was so successful that 73 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:43,839 Speaker 1: even the Iowa State Dental Society took notice. In eighteen 74 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:47,440 Speaker 1: sixty five, the group's president invited Lucy to attend their 75 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:52,400 Speaker 1: annual convention. She nervously accepted, half expecting to be chewed 76 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:55,880 Speaker 1: out by her colleagues for practicing without a license. To 77 00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:58,760 Speaker 1: her great relief, though the men gave her a warmer 78 00:04:58,800 --> 00:05:02,039 Speaker 1: welcome than she ever have expected. It turned out the 79 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:06,039 Speaker 1: invitation wasn't a trick or an empty gesture either. At 80 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:09,760 Speaker 1: that very meeting, the society's by laws were changed and 81 00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:13,919 Speaker 1: Lucy was welcomed as his first woman member. After six 82 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:17,200 Speaker 1: years of struggle, she had finally won the recognition of 83 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:21,719 Speaker 1: her peers. Lucy's professional standing continued to grow in the 84 00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:24,960 Speaker 1: months ahead. That summer, she was sent as an elected 85 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:28,720 Speaker 1: delegate to the American Dental Convention held in Chicago, and 86 00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:32,359 Speaker 1: by the fall, her fellow Iowa dentists were demanding that 87 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:35,800 Speaker 1: she'd be allowed to attend whichever dental school she wanted. 88 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:39,200 Speaker 1: They even went so far as to issue an alltimatum 89 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:42,680 Speaker 1: to all the colleges either admit Lucy as a student 90 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:46,680 Speaker 1: or lose the support of the entire state society. With 91 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:49,840 Speaker 1: the group's support and her own expertise to recommend her, 92 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:53,400 Speaker 1: Lucy submitted a second application to the Ohio College of 93 00:05:53,480 --> 00:05:57,000 Speaker 1: Dentistry and was admitted as a student that same fall. 94 00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:01,479 Speaker 1: Better still, in recognition of her years of experience, the 95 00:06:01,560 --> 00:06:06,200 Speaker 1: college only required her to attend a single semester Lucy's 96 00:06:06,200 --> 00:06:09,840 Speaker 1: former private tutor, Professor Taft, was still the college dean 97 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:12,760 Speaker 1: at the time. He later gave a glowing report of 98 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:16,440 Speaker 1: her classroom performance, saying quote, she was a woman of 99 00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:21,360 Speaker 1: great energy and perseverance, Studious in her habits, modest and unassuming, 100 00:06:21,640 --> 00:06:24,640 Speaker 1: she had the respect and kind regard of every member 101 00:06:24,640 --> 00:06:27,919 Speaker 1: of the class and faculty. As an operator, she was 102 00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:31,719 Speaker 1: not surpassed by her associates. Her opinion was asked and 103 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:35,400 Speaker 1: her assistants sought in difficult cases almost daily by her 104 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:37,920 Speaker 1: fellow students, And though the class of which she was 105 00:06:37,960 --> 00:06:40,760 Speaker 1: a member was one of the largest ever in attendance, 106 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:45,280 Speaker 1: in the final examination, she was second to none. Lucy 107 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:49,159 Speaker 1: graduated just a few months later, on February twenty first, 108 00:06:49,279 --> 00:06:53,040 Speaker 1: eighteen sixty six, becoming the first woman in history to 109 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:56,360 Speaker 1: earn a doctorate in dentistry. She later wrote of the 110 00:06:56,400 --> 00:07:00,120 Speaker 1: accomplishment quote, I am a New Yorker by birth, but 111 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:03,880 Speaker 1: I love my adopted country, the West. To it belongs 112 00:07:03,920 --> 00:07:06,560 Speaker 1: the credit of making it possible for women to be 113 00:07:06,600 --> 00:07:10,240 Speaker 1: recognized in the dental profession on equal terms with men. 114 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:14,400 Speaker 1: With her hard fought degree in hand, Lucy moved to 115 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:18,520 Speaker 1: Chicago and started a new practice. Soon after, she fell 116 00:07:18,520 --> 00:07:20,920 Speaker 1: in love with one of her patients, a Civil War 117 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:24,520 Speaker 1: veteran named James Myrtle Taylor. He had been working as 118 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:27,640 Speaker 1: a railroad car painter, but after the two were married 119 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:31,040 Speaker 1: in eighteen sixty seven, Lucy began to teach him dentistry 120 00:07:31,080 --> 00:07:34,440 Speaker 1: in her spare time. Later that year, the couple moved 121 00:07:34,440 --> 00:07:37,240 Speaker 1: to Laurence, Kansas, where they bought an empty lot and 122 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:41,800 Speaker 1: built a combination house and office. Working side by side, 123 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:45,680 Speaker 1: the husband wife dentist duo established what was later called 124 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:50,000 Speaker 1: the finest and most lucrative practice in Kansas. A few 125 00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:52,720 Speaker 1: years later, the Tailors were able to buy a separate 126 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:56,600 Speaker 1: home and move their practice into a larger commercial building downtown. 127 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:01,040 Speaker 1: They continued to practice dentistry together until James's death in 128 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:05,880 Speaker 1: eighteen eighty six. Lucy retired after his passing and focused 129 00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:09,360 Speaker 1: instead on the charity and social causes she had championed 130 00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:13,560 Speaker 1: for decades, most notably women's rights. In the end, though, 131 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:17,880 Speaker 1: retirement just didn't suit her. In eighteen ninety five, Lucy 132 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:20,920 Speaker 1: moved back into the home slash office building she had 133 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:25,040 Speaker 1: built with her husband and reopened her practice. She continued 134 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:28,080 Speaker 1: to see patients on a limited basis until her death 135 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:31,360 Speaker 1: from a stroke on October third, nineteen ten, at the 136 00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:34,760 Speaker 1: age of seventy seven. By the time of her passing, 137 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:38,400 Speaker 1: doctor Lucy Hobbs Taylor had been rightly hailed as a 138 00:08:38,440 --> 00:08:42,079 Speaker 1: pioneer of her profession. More than a thousand women had 139 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:45,640 Speaker 1: already followed in her footsteps, and thousands more were primed 140 00:08:45,640 --> 00:08:48,720 Speaker 1: to do the same in the years ahead. That rapid 141 00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:52,800 Speaker 1: growth eventually led to the formation of the American Association 142 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:57,400 Speaker 1: of Women Dentists in nineteen twenty one. That national organization 143 00:08:57,480 --> 00:09:00,280 Speaker 1: as still around a day and continues to rep present 144 00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:04,600 Speaker 1: the interests of women in the industry. The AAWD hasn't 145 00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:10,040 Speaker 1: forgotten its forbear either. Each year, the organization recognizes outstanding 146 00:09:10,080 --> 00:09:14,720 Speaker 1: women dentists with the Lucy Hobbs Taylor Award. Other tributes 147 00:09:14,760 --> 00:09:17,920 Speaker 1: to Taylor appear throughout the profession as well, including in 148 00:09:17,960 --> 00:09:22,360 Speaker 1: the realm of dental supplies. For instance, the Metalleida Company 149 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:26,040 Speaker 1: designed and named a modern lab coade after Taylor, a 150 00:09:26,160 --> 00:09:31,760 Speaker 1: tribute to the woman who wore one first. I'm Gabelusier, 151 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:35,000 Speaker 1: and hopefully you now know a little more about history 152 00:09:35,040 --> 00:09:38,480 Speaker 1: today than you did yesterday. If you'd like to keep 153 00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:41,479 Speaker 1: up with the show, you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, 154 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:45,960 Speaker 1: and Instagram at tedi HC Show, and if you have 155 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:49,000 Speaker 1: any comments or suggestions, you can always send them my 156 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:53,599 Speaker 1: way by writing to This Day at iHeartMedia dot com. 157 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:56,400 Speaker 1: Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing the show, and thank 158 00:09:56,440 --> 00:09:59,239 Speaker 1: you for listening. I'll see you back here again tomorrow 159 00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:01,640 Speaker 1: for another Their Day in History class