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Anita Newcomb McGee was born on November 4, 1864 in Washington, D.C. Her father was an astronomer at the United States Navel Academy. Her mother was an intellectual and encouraged Anita in her educational pursuits. Anita was educated at private schools in Washington, and studied at the Cambridge University in England and the University of Geneva in Switzerland.
In 1888, Anita married geologist and anthropologist William John McGee. After her marriage, Anita McGee enrolled in medical school. In 1892, she received the M.D. degree from George Washington University. She took post-graduate training in gynecology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. She became active in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.) and the Women’s Anthropological Society of America.
At the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898, she proposed the establishment of a “Hospital Corps,” which was adopted by the Daughters of the American Revolution. Dr. McGee drafted the legislation that created the Army Nurse Corps. The Corps offered its services to the U.S. Surgeon General, who graciously accepted. Dr. McGee was subsequently commissioned Assistant Surgeon General. Along with volunteers, McGee selected nurses to serve in the Army Nurse Corps.
At first, the military doctors did not welcome the female nurses during the Spanish-American War. However, the Army Medical Department was not equipped to handle the wounded. Medical supplies were scarce and there were few military doctors available to care for the soldiers and supervise volunteer doctors. Typhoid fever was rampant throughout the army camps. The Army was in need of help and desperately needed the services of women nurses, who were ready to lend their assistance. Although the War lasted only from April to July, the nurses provided a needed service. Over 1,7000 contract nurses were enlisted and supervised by Dr. Anita McGee. Speaking of the dedicated nurses, one surgeon remarked that, “When you were coming, we did not know what we would do with you. Now we do not know what we would have done without you.” Supporters of Clark Barton of the Red Cross resented McGee’s efforts because they believed they should be entirely responsible for providing nurses during the War.
Dr. McGee could not be head of the Army Nurse Corps because of a Congressional bill that restricted the position to only graduate nurses. As a result, she organized the Society of Spanish-American War Nurses and served as its president for six years.
From 1904 to 1905, she and nine veteran nurses worked with Japanese nurses during the Russo-Japanese War. She also inspected hospitals in China, Japan and Korea. She was awarded the Imperial Order for the Sacred Crown by the Japanese government for her contributions.
After a lifetime of providing medical treatment and enhancing the profession of nursing, Dr. Anita McGee died on October 5, 1940. She was buried with military honors in Arlington National Cemetery.
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