Anna D. Wolf Collection

Biography

Anna D. Wolf was born in Guntur, India. She received her B.A. in 1911 from Goucher College, her nursing certificate in 1915 from the Johns Hopkins Hospital School of Nursing, and her M.A. in 1916 from the Columbia University Teachers College. After completing her education, Wolf was an instructor and assistant superintendent of nurses at the Johns Hopkins Hospital School of Nursing. In the summer of 1918, she took a leave of absence from Johns Hopkins to serve as instructor at the Vassar Training Camp for Nurses. In 1919, she left Johns Hopkins to become superintendent of nurses at Peking Union Medical College in China, where she also became dean of the school of nursing in 1924. She returned to the United States in 1926 and joined the faculty of University of Chicago as associate professor of nursing and superintendent of nursing at the Albert Merritt Billings Hospital. Wolf held a similar position at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center from 1931-1940. In 1940, she returned to the Johns Hopkins Hospital as director of the school of nursing and nursing services, a position she held until her retirement in 1955. Throughout her career, she played a leadership role in numerous nursing professional organizations, such as the American Red Cross, Florence Nightingale International Foundation, National League of Nursing Education, and National Nursing Council. She also served as an advisor to goverment agencies such as the US Public Health Service, Veterans Affairs, and War Manpower Commission.

Scope and Content

The Anna D. Wolf Collection spans her entire career, emphasizing her influence on nursing education. It includes taped interviews with Wolf, speeches by Wolf, newspaper clippings, correspondence, notes, and photographs. Of particular interest is Anna Wolf’s correspondence with Winford Smith, director of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, in which they discuss hospital policy as it relates to nursing. Records related to Anna Wolf’s interactions with professional nursing organizations and nursing education programs include Peking Union Medical College, Goucher College, Bryn Mawr College Summer Nursing Program, New York Hospital, US Office of Defense, Health, and Welfare Services’ Committee on Inventory, Florence Nightingale International Foundation, Joint Committee on the Structure of National Nursing Organizations, United States Cadet Nursing Corps, Veterans’ Administration, and the War Manpower Commission. Posthumous material consists of a biographical material compiled by Sarah Allison to study of the life and career of Anna D. Wolf. Material culture related to Wolf includes a portrait, her director’s uniform, medals, and certificates. Additional Wolf information may be found in the Records of the Johns Hopkins Hospital School of Nursing.

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